I have the pickiest eating husband in the entire world. The madness never ends — one day he likes something, the next day it’s the worst thing he’s ever put in his mouth. So you can imagine how hard it is for me to choose what things to create for meals on special occasions like birthdays, our anniversary, and Father’s Day. Over the past decade of our marriage I have mastered a few recipes that he enjoys no matter what. If you have a picky Dad in your house, then these recipes will work perfectly for you this Father’s Day Weekend!

©Amy Fewell

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

DOUGH:
1 Tbs or package yeast
½ c warm water
2 c milk
½ c butter
2 Tbs salt (unless you’re using salted butter)
1/3 c sugar
7-8 c flour

 

COMBINE:

In a mixing bowl add yeast to warm water. Set aside.
Warm milk (just slightly) on stove.
Add butter, sugar, and salt to milk. Stir until somewhat dissolved or until butter is almost melted.
Add milk mixture to yeast mixture. Combine.
Add 5 cups of flour and mix well. Keep adding flour until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Dough will be slightly sticky but not too sticky where you can’t get it off of your hands.
Flour your surface and knead dough for 5 minutes. Continue to flour your surface while kneading should dough start to stick.
Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled. (I like to put in a bowl on a heating pad for faster rising)

Once dough is risen, divide dough in half and roll each half out into a ½” thick rectangle. If you’ve done it right, you’ll notice that your dough is very light and airy feeling as you roll it out.

FILLING:
1/3 c butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
2 tbs cinnamon

Melt butter. Mix sugars and cinnamon together in a separate bowl. Drizzle melted butter all over rolled out dough. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon mixture over top of butter until completely coated.

Roll dough, starting from a long side. Don’t roll too tightly, but make sure it’s tight enough to keep your filling in place.

Next, take a piece of thread and cut ¾” to 1” cinnamon rolls, depending on what size you’d like. Place in a buttered pan (I use 4+ round cake or pie pans, but you could use a rectangle baking dish). Let rise for approx. 20 minutes and then bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes OR until tops are hardening and start to color around edges. You do not want your cinnamon rolls brown on top. As soon as they start to turn, take them out. This keeps them extra moist. Allow to cool until warm to the touch, then add frosting while still warm.

FROSTING:
2 Tbs soft butter
4-6 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tbs vanilla extract
3-4 Tbs hot water

Stir together all ingredients, starting with just 4 cups of p. sugar. Add sugar gradually until just “spreadable”. Frost rolls when they are still warm but not too hot. This allows the frosting to start melting, but still keeps frosting on top of rolls.

© Amy Fewell

Quick and Easy Homemade Pancakes

1 + 1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1 + 1/4 cup milk
1/4 sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cooking oil

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.

Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients in large bowl.

Heat up a cast iron or non-stick skillet to medium heat. Melt a small pat of butter in skillet or use cooking spray. Pour pancake batter of desired sizes into skillet. Flip when golden brown. The key is to only flip the pancake once, otherwise it will become too dense.

Serve with organic maple syrup or King Syrup.

© Amy Fewell

 Spinach, Bacon, Tomato and Cheese Quiche

6 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste (about 1 tsp each)
Onion and garlic powder to taste (about 2 tsp each)
1 to 1.5 cups of shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 box of spinach (10 oz, thawed and drained)*
Bacon (to taste), fried, drained and crumbled
Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (again, as many as you’d like)

*You can use fresh spinach, however, you’ll need to wilt it in a skillet with some bacon drippings before adding to your quiche mixture.

Break open eggs into large bowl, mix until yolks are completely broken up and combined. Add heavy cream and seasonings, mix well. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. If you wish to  make a fancier top, you can place the tomatoes on top of the quiche instead of mixed into the quiche.

Place mixture in pan with raw pie crust (homemade or store bought) and bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

You can use this same recipe for all types of quiche. The photo above is a spinach, mushroom and cheese quiche.

I hope that some of these breakfast dishes can bring joy to your sweet Papa’s face this Father’s Day weekend!  As always, these recipes can be tailored to suit your picky eaters needs if necessary (for example, my husband hates onions, so I use onion powder instead of onions). The best dishes are the ones made with love and thought!

Have a beautiful Father’s Day weekend.

——————————–

 Amy Fewell is the Advertising Manager of The Piedmont Virginian Magazine. She resides in Rixeyville, VA along with her husband, son and loveable lab. They run a small “mini-homestead” and Amy owns her own photography business. For more information, visit their homestead website and Amy’s personal photography website.