Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Archives for January 2021

Texas Roadhouse Rolls With Honey Butter

Have you ever went to Texas Roadhouse and had those pillowy, delectable sweet rolls?  I’m convinced they will serve those rolls in Heaven.

We’ve already discussed my ridiculous obsession with baking.  If you haven’t read my white bread recipe, you can find it by clicking here.  As I said in that post, the amount of flour I go through in my house is almost embarrassing.  I say almost because eating these takes every ounce of embarrassment away.

This is my copycat recipe for those amazing Texas Roadhouse rolls.  Run to your kitchen right this second and make these fluffy, buttery, super tender rolls.  You can thank me later.  Don’t try to serve them without slathering them with honey butter, that would be an abomination.

Texas Roadhouse Rolls With Honey Butter

These rolls are incredibly fluffy, buttery, super tender and slathered in honey cinnamon butter.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 18 rolls

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup warm water around 105°
  • 1 cup warm milk around 105°
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 3 tbs butter melted
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup melted butter for basting rolls
  • 1 stick butter softened
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of your Kitchenaid add the water, sugar and yeast. Whisk together and allow to bloom for 10-15 minutes until foamy.
  • To the bowl of your mixer add the milk, melted butter, egg, garlic salt. Lightly mix everything together, using the dough hook of your mixer, for about 1 minute. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix. If your dough seems to tacky, you may need to add additional flour. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed and mix until the dough comes clean from the sides of the bowl.
  • Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size (1-2 hours).
  • Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured work surface. With a rolling pin, roll out dough in a rectangle to approx. ½ inch in thickness. Using a pizza cutter, divide into 18 square pieces. Place each roll 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to double in size.
  • Preheat oven to 350°. When rolls have risen, place on middle rack of oven. Bake 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately brush with melted butter. Trust me, serve them warm!
  • While the rolls are baking make your honey butter. To prepare it which together the last four ingredients.

What She Really Wants For Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is just six short weeks after Christmas.  And, once again, our spouses are under pressure to find the perfect gift for us.

Let’s face it, we don’t make it easy on them.  They are expected to read our minds and know what the perfectly perfect gift is that our heart is craving.  Y’all have no idea how many tears I’ve shed during our relationship because my husband didn’t inherently know what I wanted to receive.  Of course I couldn’t tell him what I wanted, that would take every ounce of romance out of it.  And he should be able to read my mind, right?

When I think about what I would love to receive for Valentine’s Day, I’ve been thinking a bit beyond the tangible.  I’ve been thinking about what, for me, would communicate: I love you, I adore you, I still want to date you, I’m thankful for you, I cherish you, I appreciate you, I see the many things you do that go unnoticed and I love how you take care of our children.

I’m sure you’ve all heard about the popular series of books by Gary Chapman based on what he calls The 5 Love Languages.  The main concept of the book is that there are 5 main ways in which people receive and give love: words of affirmation, physical touch, acts of service, receiving gifts and quality time.  The primary way in which you express love is also the main way in which you receive love from others.

Being aware of how your partner communicates love is key here.  If you aren’t sure of how they naturally communicate love, you may very well be missing out on all of the ways they ARE expressing love to you on the daily.  Take the time to figure out her love language, and gift giving will be made easy!

When you are loved well, you will love well in return!

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The gift ideas I offer to you today are a mix of the tangible and intangible.  Gifts that, when coupled with some simple actions, will communicate what her heart craves to hear.  When you start planning your gift giving early, you resist the temptation to grab a last minute gift from the store that could possibly come across as thoughtless.  I know you’d never want your sweet lady to think that!

So, with that, I give you what she really wants for Valentine’s Day!

The Gift of Planning

For Valentine’s Day (or honestly any other day of the year), most women would love for their husbands to just plan a date all on their own.  Y’all, she would love this!  I would love this.  You have no idea how many times my husband asks what I would like to do for our date night and my response is surprise me!  Women love for you to take the lead when it comes to pursuing them!  You don’t need to ask her what she wants to do or where she wants to eat, just plan it.  She’ll adore you taking the time and initiative to plan an entire date, and it will make her feel so loved and appreciated.  If you’re married, trust your instincts.  You know her likes and dislikes, just go with it.  Trust me, she won’t be disappointed.

The Gift of Jewelry

Jewelry is always a nice surprise.  My first piece of advice is don’t spend a lot of money if you aren’t sure she will love it.  And my second piece of advice is don’t buy it from your local drug store.  If you want to know what she likes, stalk her Pinterest page or look at her Etsy favorites.  If you still aren’t sure ask her sister or her friends.  She’ll appreciate the time you put into finding the perfect piece!

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from Etsy:

The Gift of Words

Tell her what she means to you.  Tell her.  And then tell her over and over again.  Write her a note to tell her and hide it in a place she’ll find it.  Put it on her pillow, on the washing machine or in that book she’s reading.  Believe me, she’ll appreciate that more than you know.  And she’ll more than likely shed a few tears.  If you aren’t good with words or unsure of what to say, I wrote a post on words she needs to hear.  Give her a big hug and kiss when you walk in the door after work.  Just hold her in your arms.  From a woman’s perspective, this little act of kindness can wash away all the negative things that happened during the day and change the tone of the evening.  To me, this would mean more than all the flowers and chocolate in the world.

The Gift of Flowers

First, find out if she likes flowers.  And maybe make certain she isn’t allergic to them.  You’ll need to do a little research and find out what she likes.  It could be roses or maybe a fancy orchid or even some cute potted succulents.  The key here is putting thought into it and not just grabbing a bouquet from beside the WalMart checkout line.  Order her favorite flowers from a florist and have them delivered to her.  You could even order them online.  I’ll tell you Farm Girl Flowers has the most beautiful, unique arrangements!  Couple the flowers with a love letter and you’re all set!

The Gift of Free Time

This might be the most simple, yet one of the best gifts ever that a wife could receive!  While it is so important to regularly spend time together as a couple, there’s something to be said for a woman having time alone with absolutely NO agenda.  Free time without kids, no one needing their noses wiped, no laundry staring them in the face, no curfew of when to be home by and no cell phone interruptions.  Allow her to be completely unplugged.  Wives, imagine your husband saying, “Saturday I’m getting up with the kids and taking them out. Just sleep in, take a bath and then take the day and do whatever you want to do. Don’t worry about us, just enjoy your day.”

If you’re wondering if this is an actual gift, all you need to do is take ten minutes scrolling Facebook.  You’ll see just how many Mama’s post about a trip alone to Target feeling like a vacation.  Or wishing they could actually go to the bathroom by themselves for 2 minutes.  Yep, this absolutely would qualify as a gift!  And I guarantee when you get home, she’ll feel like a new woman!  Want to take this gift to an entire new level?  Add in some gift cards to her favorite stores, one for the local spa and one for her lunch.  She’ll adore her free day and not having to worry about her spending!

The Gift of Perfume

Do you know her favorite scent?  If not, here is a little list including links to some really good ones.  A beautiful bottle of perfume is such a romantic gift.  Not to mention every time she wears it she’ll be reminded of you.

The Gift of Service

As women, we are the keepers of our home.  As wives and Mamas, sometimes the tasks we do daily often feel not only repetitious but also like they aren’t seen or noticed.  Women are generally the ones who have everyone’s schedule and needs simultaneously running through our minds at any given moment.  We’re always thinking out beyond the present moment to what needs to happen next to keep it all on track, on schedule and sane.  Read this as we’re stressed.  Tell her you’re taking over her chores for the day and for her to go sit on the couch, snuggle in with a soft blanket and read that new book she’s been wanting to start.  This will show her that you not only recognize what she does daily, but that you appreciate it.  And guess what?  She’s going to be like “Wow, this is amazing. I so super love you.”  And guess who is going to look like the hero?  Yeah, you.  And who will reap the rewards of said hero?  Yep, you will!

The Gift of Gifts

There are so many other thoughtful gifts that don’t necessarily fall into any of the above categories.  I’ll place the list and links below:

Hopefully I’ve given you some good ideas, or just some inspiration to come up with your own ideas.  I hope it challenges you to think about how you communicate love to your partner and how she receives love.  Above all, I really challenge you to not just settle into a groove where your spouse is concerned.  Be inspired, love well, make it an unforgettable Valentine’s Day.  Move beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary!

Chili Oil Recipe

Chili oil is so easy to make and adds a CRAZY amount of flavor to every single thing it touches.  It’s salty, sweet, spicy and packs a serious flavor punch. I can’t get enough of it y’all.

This flavorful oil is pretty standard in certain parts of the world.  It is prominent in Chinese and Japanese cooking, and in many parts of Asia, although the Italians enjoy their own version as well.

I won’t even begin to pretend this is an authentic chili oil.  It’s not.  This is my own version of chili oil, one that my family and I enjoy.  I eat it on everything from tacos to Nashville hot chicken to topping my corn in a cup to just eating it with tortilla chips.  I haven’t found anything yet I don’t like it on.

I’ll stop yammering on about how good it is and just get to the recipe.

Chili Oil Recipe

This salty, sweet, spicy chili oil packs a serious flavor punch.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups oil
  • 1 tbs chipotle & roasted garlic seasoning
  • 1 tbs pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tbs ground cumin
  • 1/2 tbs chicken bouillon granules
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp lemon pepper
  • 1/2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp white sugar

Instructions
 

  • Place all of the seasonings in a glass bowl and whisk to combine them well.
  • Place the oil in a saucepan and heat until it reaches 370°. You can either use just plain oil, or use an oil you've already fried something in for added flavor. When I fry chicken I save the oil, strain it through cheese cloth once it's cool and save it to use to make my chili oil.
  • Carefully pour the oil over the spice mixture and whisk immediately. Continue whisking for a few minutes. Be careful as this oil is hot!
  • Let the bowl of chili oil just sit until it is fully cool. Then place it in a jar with a lid. You will need to stir it each time you use it, as all the spices will settle to the bottom of the jar.