Striking it Rich !

My family and I have been devoted viewers of Discovery Channel's "Gold Rush". Last night was the season 2 finale and so I decided to plan our dinner with a "golden" theme. Before watching to see if the Hoffman Crew struck it rich, we feasted on a menu of Golden "chicken" Nuggets, Green & Gold veggies, Golden "carrot" Buns, and Fruit Salsa with Gold Dust Chips. I must say, the homemade "buns" were the biggest hit. My 4 year old told me "These are the goodest rolls I've ever had". Little does he know, they were made with his most hated vegetable.... CARROTS ! That little secret is GOLDEN and I will treasure it long after the reruns have stopped playing.

GOLDEN chicken NUGGETS

Marinate boneless, skinless chicken tenders for 4 hours in buttermilk, cut into nuggets, then dip in crushed Town House crackers seasoned with a little Mrs. Dash garlic herb seasoning. Place on greased baking sheet and drizzle each nugget with a little melted butter. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, turning once.

GREEN & GOLD VEGGIES

1 cup frozen green beans
1/3 cup water
1 TB butter
1 1/4 cup frozen corn
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp paprika

Cook all together under tender.

GOLDEN CARROT BUNS

2 cups sliced carrots
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 & 1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 TB molasses
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour

Cook carrots in saucepan with water until tender. Drain and place in blender or food processor. Add egg and half of the water and puree until smooth. In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in remaining water. Add carrot mixture. Stir in oil, sugar, molasses, salt, and flour; beat until smooth and add more flour until a soft dough is formed.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place one hour. Punch down dough.
Shape into 24 balls and place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise one hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned.

FRUIT SALSA WITH GOLD DUST CHIPS

1 kiwi peeled and diced
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and diced
6 strawberries diced
1/2 cup blueberries
1 TB Smuckers All Fruit Strawberry Preserves

Mix together and chill.

CHIPS

White corn tortillas cut into wedges

Place on greased baking sheet and spray with butter flavored cooking spray. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture and then lightly spray again with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes and let cool 15 minutes before serving with fruit salsa. (note they will crisp up when cooling....don't make the mistake of cooking longer or you'll need a GOLD tooth to eat them....and yes I may be speaking from experience.)