Cranberry Feta Chopped Salad and Simple Crescent Rolls

 

Hello to all of my progressive dinner guests!  This has been a fantastic week so far, hasn't it?  refreshing Minty Peach Iced Tea, Cucumber Pizza for an appetizer, Apricot Glazed Ham....YUM!  I've been a little guilty of wanting to lick my computer screen.  For real.

Anyways, just so you're prepared, today's post is gonna be a wee bit long because I have two recipes to share with you...a fabulous side salad and easy homemade rolls!

Here's a glimpse of the finished product to whet your appetite......=)

Are you ready? First up is the rolls...Simple Crescent Rolls.  Now come on ladies, don't get scared.  Even if you've never, ever dared to make bread, and that phrase "making bread" sends a shiver up your spine, you can do this. Promise. These are so simple you'll be amazed.  And thrilled.  And wowed that you made your very own crescent rolls without running to the store and buying that little blue can!

For these rolls you will need just 8 simple ingredients:

• 1tbsp. yeast
• 1/3 cup of warm water
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups of all purpose flour

I don't have an pictures of the ingredients because my camera battery decided it was the perfect moment to be charged.  Lovely.  

The full recipe is at the end of this post, so I won't go into every detail right now.  But after you've mixed up the dough according to the directions, stick it in a greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. (That's right NO kneading!!)  I've used mine 36 hours after mixing it up before and they turned out even better!

When it's time to use the dough, take a knife and cut it into four sections. Here is half of my beautiful dough after it sat in my fridge for 1 1/2 days.  (I had used the other half already.) 

Take 1/4 of the dough and with floured hands, pat it into a circle.  Then on a well floured surface, start rolling it out to make a big circle, about 10-12" around.


Take a pizza cutter and well, slice it up like a pizza. I like cutting it into eighths, the rolls are plenty big that way, but you can do whatever you want. Then, just like in the directions from that famous little blue can, roll each piece of dough up starting with the fat side.  Once it's rolled up, pinch the point to the roll so it sticks really well, and curve the ends to form a crescent.

Place the rolls point down onto greased cookie sheets. Cover the rolls with a light towel and let them rise for 1 1/2 hours in a warm spot. Bake @ 350 for about 12-15 minutes. 

Now for the hard part....trying not to eat them all!! =)


Next up is probably my favorite salad in the whole wide world.........

I have made this Cranberry Feta Chopped Salad dozens of times and it is always a crowd pleaser.  It's a recipe I made up, (although I'm sure there's one like it out there somewhere!) and I love that it's so different from the usual "ho-hum" side salad.  It's refreshing, simple and oh so delicious!!

To make this salad you will need:

• baby spinach
• sliced or chopped almonds
• dried cranberries
• feta cheese
• balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

 Put your spinach in a great big bowl and top with the almonds, feta and cranberries.  There are no specific measurements to this salad...just throw the stuff in until you think it looks right. =)  (This is pretty much how I cook all the time!) Seriously though, I used about 8oz. of spinach and roughly 1/2 of each container of ingredients. 

 Next, drizzle on some balsamic vinaigrette.  Sometimes I make my own, but I really like this kind. (And hey, I had a coupon for it!)

 After adding the dressing, it's time to break out the scissors!

Using a pair of clean scissors, chop, chop and chop some more until you're pretty sure your hand is going to fall off.  Or, you know, until it's nice and "bite-sized."  =)

After it's chopped, "taste-test" it to see if you need to add more dressing or cranberries or whatever.  I usually make this about 30 minutes before we eat because you don't want the spinach to get all wilty. (Is that even a word?)  Refrigerate it until you're ready to eat so it's nice and cold.  Then serve it up and watch it disappear!

Hope you've enjoyed stopping by for this part of the progressive dinner! Tomorrow Christina will end it all with a fabulous dessert....can't wait to see what she's got planned!

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Simple Crescent Rolls

Ingredients: 
1tbsp. yeast
1/3 cup of warm water
1/2 cup of sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) of sour cream
2 eggs
4 cups of all purpose flour

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add the sugar, salt, butter, sour cream and eggs.  Beat until smooth. 
2.  Add 3 cups of flour and mix well.  Stir in the remaining flour.
3.  Place dough in a large, greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. 
4.  Refrigerate dough for at least 6 hours, and up to 36 hours.
5.  When ready to use, divide the dough into four pieces using a sharp knife.
6.  Pat dough into a circle and place on a well floured surface.  Roll into a 10-12" circle. Using a pizza cutter, cut into wedges. (I usually do 8.) Repeat for the remaining three sections of dough. 
7.  Roll the wedges up, starting at the wide end, pinch the point to the roll and place point side down, about 3 inches apart, onto a greased baking sheet.  Curve the ends to form a crescent.  
8. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.  
9. Bake @ 375 for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

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Cranberry Feta Chopped Salad

Ingredients:
Baby spinach 
Dried cranberries
Feta cheese
Sliced or chopped almonds
Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

Directions:
1.  Place spinach in a large bowl.  Add cranberries, almonds and feta cheese.
2.  Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and chop with scissors. 
3.  Refrigerate until serving time.  

Enjoy!!

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