Corn Chowder Meal

So, I'm finally getting around to adding a new post again. Life has been a bit chaotic through the holidays. Tonight we had our small group over so I wanted something that I could make mostly ahead of time so I wasn't scrambling at the last minute.

Since I didn't change anything, I copied each of the recipes directly from their source sites.

The Menu

Nicole's Corn Chowder (http://crockingirls.com/recipes/nicoles-corn-chowder/)
Feather Rolls (http://www.bhg.com/recipe/rolls/feather-rolls/)
Cotton Candy Salad (http://www.budget101.com/easter-ostara/108425-cotton-candy-salad.html)
Brownies (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/brookes-best-bombshell-brownies/detail.aspx)

Corn Chowder Recipe

Ingredients

• 6-8 potatoes (peeled and diced)

• 1 Can cream corn

• 1 Can whole kernel corn

• 2 Cups chicken broth

• 8 Ounces diced ham

• 1 Cups diced onions

• 1/4 Cups butter

• 2 Cups half and half

Directions
Place potatoes, both cans of corn, chicken broth, ham, and onions into the slow cooker.Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

1. Mash the mixture to your desired consistency [I didn't mash anything] and then add the butter and half and half.
   Cook for an additional 30 minutes on high, and you are set!
   
   Synopsis: From what I could tell, everyone enjoyed the soup. I don't think mine had as much meat as the picture shows so you might want to add 16 oz of ham instead of 8 oz. 
   
   
   

Feather Rolls

Ingredients
4 1/4 - 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
1/2 cup mashed cooked potato
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the warm water, mashed potato, the 1/3 cup melted butter, the sugar, and salt. Add potato mixture to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total). Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface. Cover; chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
3. Punch down dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. With lightly floured hands, shape dough into 15 rolls. Arrange rolls in prepared pan. Cover; let rise in warm place until nearly double in size (about 40 minutes).
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake about 25 minutes or until rolls are golden and sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pan. Invert so tops are up. Brush tops with the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Serve warm.


Synopsis: I wouldn't necessarily refer to these as feather rolls. Mine came out a little dense but did taste really good. They were very easy to make too. I think I will let the dough sit (Step 2) longer next time but I didn't have a ton of extra time. Nevertheless, they tasted really good.

Cotton Candy Salad

Ingredients:
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 cups drained crushed pineapple
1 can cherry pie filling
1 can strawberry pie filling
12 ounces cool whip, thawed
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Fold all ingredients together and blend well. Chill until ready to serve.


Synopsis: I haven't tried much of this myself but I liked it and saw lots of people taking seconds of it.  I definitely plan on making this (and the other recipes above) again.

Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir flour mixture into the egg mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.


Synopsis: Mine took way longer to bake than 35-40 minutes. I probably had  closer to 50. By the time I took them out the last time, the outer edges were hard and the middle was still soft. The brownies were dense and chewy but also hard. The taste was good though. I haven't decided if I will try these again to see if there was something I did wrong or not. We'll have to see.