84. Sausage Bread

From 2006 Southern Living Annual Recipes

So...I'm afraid of dough.

I don't work with it much...I've certainly never made my own from scratch...and I just approach handling it with trepidation.

All that to say that I probably didn't roll this out as thoroughly or evenly as I should have, and it was so thin in places that I was worried the filling would pop through during baking.

However, this recipe must be fool-proof because it turned out perfectly. It was beautiful coming out of the oven, and it really held its shape when it was sliced.

The French bread dough was crunchy and chewy, and it's hard to beat the spicy, gooey combination of hot sausage and cheese.

My family loves sausage balls on Christmas morning, but I think this dish needs to make an appearance instead this year!

1 (1-lb.) package ground hot pork sausage

1 (11-oz.) can refrigerated French bread dough
1 1/2 cups shredded pizza cheese blend

Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove from pan; drain well, pressing between paper towels.

Unroll dough into a rectangular shape on a lightly greased baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with sausage and cheese. Beginning with 1 long side, roll up, jelly-roll fashion. Turn, seam side down, on baking sheet, and pinch ends to secure filling inside. Cut 3 (1/4-inch-deep) slits across top of dough with a sharp paring knife.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

29. Easy Zucchini Bread

From 2007 Southern Living Annual Recipes

Encouraged by the success of the Cinnamon Loaves a few weeks ago, I wanted to try another "sweet" bread recipe.

This was, indeed, easy to put together...I know I'm leaning on a crutch by using cake mix as a starter, but I'm easing into baking!

This bread was not too sweet and incredibly moist...almost too much so. It was done...I baked it longer than the recipe suggested until a toothpick came out clean, and it sliced perfectly, but it was so moist it almost tasted under-done.

The strips of zucchini running throughout made for a pretty presentation. The spice cake mix gave it a very "homey" flavor, and the pecans added a nice crunch.

1 (18.25-ounce) package spice cake mix

1-1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup canola oil

3 large eggs

2 cups shredded zucchini (1 medium)

1 cup chopped pecans (toasted, optional)

Beat cake mix and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat 1 minute, scraping down sides as needed. Stir in zucchini and 2/3 cup pecans. Pour batter evenly into 2 lightly greased loaf pans. Sprinkle remaining pecans evenly over batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack and cool 15 minutes before slicing.

26. French Onion Biscuits

From 2007 Southern Living Annual Recipes

It should come as no surprise that my idea of baking biscuits starts with a frozen bag. I don't deal with dough.

But, look at me! Making biscuits! This recipe was too interesting to me to pass up...and the results were perfect. The French onion dip gave it just a hint of flavor (not overwhelming, but enough to be different), and the biscuits had a nice crust on the tops and bottoms with moist insides.

1 (8-ounce) carton French onion dip

1/4 cup milk

2 cups all-purpose baking mix

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Whisk together dip and milk until smooth. Stir in baking mix until well blended. Divide dough into 12 equal portions and arrange on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush tops of dough with melted butter.

Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes or until lightly golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

10. Broccoli Cornbread Muffins

From 2003 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I generally don't like traditional cornbread...but Jiffy is another story! I love the sweetness....throw in broccoli and cheese, and it's even better. I could have made a meal out of these alone, but they're a great accompaniment to soup or as a brunch addition.

My sister has always made this cornbread in a pan, but I'm a big fan of "pick-up food," so I've had this muffin variation tagged for awhile.

The recipe calls for them to be made in miniature muffin pans, but I made standard-size muffins instead and increased the cooking time about five minutes.

YUM!

1 (8.5-ounce) package corn muffin mix
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 small onion, chopped (I omitted)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in the center of mixture.

Stir together eggs and butter, blending well. Add to broccoli mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into lightly greased miniature muffin pans, filling three-fourths full.

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes before removing from pans.

Makes 2 dozen mini muffins or 1 dozen regular muffins.