Hamburger or hot dog buns

I've been making these a LOT.  Make the dough in the bread machine, divide into rolls, let rise for 30 mins on a baking sheet, pop in the oven.  SO yummy, and full of all that high glycemic white flour.  Yum.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/burger-or-hot-dog-buns/Detail.aspx

Sweet Potato Brownies

Allyriane's ballet class performed at Deck the Halls last weekend. As we were leaving, we (quickly) browsed through the booths and came past one handing out free samples of their baking mixes. The best was sweet potato brownies. I wasn't willing to pay $8 a bag to make a pan of brownies, but decided to look up the recipe online. The first one I tried wasn't the right one, and it's really more like sweet potato pound cake, but the kids really liked it. Here it is, and I'll try a new recipe this weekend!

Sweet Potato Brownies (er... Pound Cake)

1/2 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter with sugar. Add sweet potatoes, vanilla and eggs; mix well. Stir in flour and cinnamon, mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour or when knife inserted into brownies comes out clean. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Remove and let cool in pan 5 minutes; then transfer to cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 16 bars.

Oatmeal Cereal Cookies and Oatmeal Macadamia Rice Krispies Cookies

Here's the recipe for the cookies that I took to Baylor Homecoming in Waco this weekend. Chris wanted the recipe, and either Chris ate a *lot* of cookies or others liked them as well. Cereal and Oats - healthy, right?

Do Not Double the Recipe! It is too big for even the KitchenAid if you do. I know this from, um, experience. :) I was also short on macadamia nuts so I made half with nuts and half with toffee bits. Or you could go wild and put in both nuts and toffee bits.

This was only the second time I made them. Next time I would try making them with 1 c butter or 3/4 c butter + 1/4 c corn oil, and get rid of the shortening (trans-fats, even if there are 0 g per serving).

Recipe as I made them:

Oatmeal Cereal Cookies
1/2c unsalted butter, softened
1/2c shortening
1c brown sugar
1c white sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp sea salt
2c all-purpose flour
2c whole oats (I used 1 minute oats, but I think I used regular last time.)
2c Special K Cereal
1c macadamia nuts, chopped or 1c Heath Toffee Bits.
1c coconut
1c real white chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 375°F.
2) Cream butter, shortening, & sugars together.
3) Add eggs & vanilla.
4) Add soda, baking powder, salt, & flour.
5) Add whole oats, Rice Krispies, nuts, coconut, & chips; mix well.
6) Roll to walnut size; place on cookie sheet.(I have a handy dandy cookie dough scoop that Tim's mom introduced me to. A real time saver!)
8) Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes.

And here's the original recipe from http://www.eatingetc.blogspot.com/2009/03/oatmeal-macadamia-rice-krispies-cookies.html

Oatmeal Macadamia Rice Krispies Cookies
1/2c unsalted butter, softened
1/2c organic shortening
1c brown sugar
1c white sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp sea salt
2c all-purpose flour
2c whole oats
2c Rice Krispies
1c macadamia nuts, chopped (or other favorite nut)
1c coconut (I used kosher unsweetened coconut)
1c real white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips

1) Preheat oven to 375°F.
2) Cream butter, shortening, & sugars together.
3) Add eggs & vanilla.
4) In small bowl, mix together soda, baking powder, salt, & flour.
5) Stir into butter mixture until combined.
6) Add whole oats, Rice Krispies, nuts, coconut, & chips; mix well.
7) Roll to walnut size; place on cookie sheet.
8) Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes.