Delicious, gooey, goodness...Cinnamon Rolls

You might think that making your own cinnamon rolls from scratch is just more than can be mustered on a lazy weekend morning, but it really isn't much work, and the results blow Pillsbury out of the water.  Make no mistake, there is no comparison between home-made fresh, warm, gooey, delightful and delicious cinnamon rolls and those that come frozen or in a cardboard can.  I just can't bring myself to buy them ever since... In fact, I declare that this recipe rivals Cinnabon's. 

Take a look....want this?

Sure you do, who wouldn't??  I do, and I'm sitting right here.

So here's how you do it:

(this recipe makes 12 cinnamon rolls)

Ingredients:

1 package yeast (2 1/2 t)

1 C warmed milk

1/2 C sugar

1/3 C margarine

1 t. salt

2 eggs

4 C flour

• Dissolve yeast in milk for a few minutes.
• Beat together the sugar and margarine, add eggs, add the rest.
• Let rise in bowl. (placing in the oven at a very low heat can help expedite this, but only for a few minutes under a watchful eye)

• Mix together:
• 1 C. brown sugar
• 2 1/2 T cinnamon
• 1/3 C margarine

• On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness,in a long rectangular shape about 10 inches wide
• Spread cinnamon mixture over the dough with a butter knife.
• Roll the dough up as tight as you can while keeping the filling from moving too much.
• Slice with thread by placing it under the log, crossing the ends and drawing together towards the center.   
• Place in buttered pan/sheet, don't let them touch the edges or put them closer than 2 inches apart, they do expand in the oven
•  Preheat oven to 400 degrees, let rolls rise again.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown, do not underbake.

Ice with powdered sugar icing or cream cheese frosting after allowing rolls to cool for a few minutes (otherwise all the frosting runs off and your rolls look unfortunate).

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese

1/2 stick margarine (4 T), softened

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

1/2 t vanilla

pinch of salt

With a hand mixer, mix cream cheese and margarine in a small bowl

Add vanilla and salt, blend well

Add powdered sugar

Drizzle or spread with a knife onto rolls

Easy!

Farfale with Basil and Ground Pork

    Here’s another quick and easy dinner for the workweek (or whenever) that is sure to fill you up, and it uses lots of fresh basil which is coming in like crazy over here.  What I didn’t use tonight is getting dried, and the pot readied for growing season round two.  Back to the dish…I haven’t worked much with ground pork in the past, but have always enjoyed the flavor of some Italian sausages (some are just not seasoned well), since it was on sale for $1 a roll, I thought what the heck, it will go with the fire roasted red peppers I plan to get (in a jar).  Hence…a pasta feast!  I was pleased with the way this dish came out, flavors were complimentary, and basic, the ground pork was really able to shine.  Hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients:                                                                    

1/4 C chopped roasted red pepper

1 C chopped mushrooms

3/4 C chopped red onion

1 C fresh basil (torn into quarter sized pieces)

3 large garlic cloves, chopped (about 2 T)

12 oz. ground port

2 T olive oil

1/2 t ground black pepper

1/2 t garlic powder

1 1/4 C uncooked Farfale noodles

Method:

• In a medium boiling pot, bring water to a boil, add Farfale noodles when boil is robust and cook for recommended time (for Barilla brand, it is 11 minutes)
• In a large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over med/low heat             
• Add onion, cook, stirring, about 2 minutes
• Add garlic and mushroom, cook another 2-3 minutes until tender
• Remove, set aside, raise heat to med/high
• Brown ground pork in skillet, adding 1/4 t. black pepper and separating into bits with the spatula, until well done, approx. 9-10 minutes
• With a bowl lined with paper towels, allow meat to sit and extra grease to drain 
• Discard skillet grease
• When drained, return meat to skillet over low heat
• Add chopped red pepper and basil and simmer for a couple of minutes
• Add onion, garlic and mushroom previously set aside
• Drain pasta, rinse, and add to skillet
• Drizzle remaining 1 T olive oil, add 1/2 t garlic powder and 1/4 t black pepper and toss to distribute for 2-3 minutes

Serve and enjoy

I can't believe we ate all that food...hahaha  Sorry this picture doesn't really capture the temptations and pretty color of this dish, I should have tossed it more then taken the picture.

I went for a truly carb-forward night, and paired this with some left-over French bread.

To make simple, real garlic bread, I sliced it in half, and toasted it in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, then rubbed each half with a halved garlic clove until it rubbed smoothly on the bread face, then spread margarine on top (at this point you can pop it back in the over for quick melting, or serve as is).  I love garlic bread!  And will break it out for any occasion I conveniently can!

Notice how it is kind of a rarity for me to include picture of our food on plates?  That is simply because we can't stand the wait!  Garlic is the smell of love around this house, love of good food, we came together so many years ago over our love of a well roasted bulb of garlic, smeared on a baguette and wonderful conversation over candlelight.  Awwwe.  Go enjoy your dinner!

Ramekin Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

I felt bad about posting the cranberry banana bread pudding without a picture, and it just so happened that we needed a dessert for tonight…hence the following recipe for Apple Cinnamon Individual Bread Puddings!

Makes 4 (4 inch ramekins)

Ingredients:

1 gala apple, sliced 1/4 inch thick and chopped coarsely

~4 cups day old French bread, cubed (1/2 inch cubes) with crust

1 C milk

2 eggs

1/3 C sugar, plus 2 t for dusting

1 t. ground cinnamon, divided

1/8 t allspice

Margarine for greasing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease bottom and sides of each ramekin

In a medium-sized mixing bowl:

Ready to bake

• Beat eggs with a whisk until they are good and mixed up
• Add milk, 1/2 t. cinnamon and allspice, whisk
• Add sugar, whisk
• Add bread cubes, gently fold into the mixture to coat
• Add chopped apple, again, gently fold into mixture to disperse somewhat evenly
• Divide among the ramekins
• Sprinkle cinnamon then 1/2 t sugar on the tops of each
• Place on metal baking sheet, and bake for 35-40 minutes on the middle rack

Poof! Right out of the oven.

Settled and cooling

                                                                       Vanilla ice cream is a nice addition too, we find tonight :)

Cranberry Banana Bread Pudding

I like certain flavor combinations, trouble is, I can't always find a recipe for what I want to make, so I end up experimenting a lot to get what I want.  The good news is, once I've worked out the kinks, I can pass it along to you.  Here is a bread pudding recipe that I got stuck on after having an order of really good bread pudding from a little Italian sandwich shop years ago.  I think I have it right, not too sweet, flavorful, and (don't tell anyone...relatively healthy!) a great dessert for the fall, or anytime.  You can serve it warmed or cold, it's great for breakfast. Some folks like to put it in a bowl and add cold milk or sprinkle extra sugar...whatever floats your boat!


Heads up--this recipe uses a bunt pan and requires an hour of absorption for best results.

Ingredients:
1 loaf, minus 4 slices, white sandwich bread
1 can cranberry sauce
1 C brown sugar
4 eggs
1 t margarine for greasing pans
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 2/3 C milk
2 medium bananas

To Make:

• Remove the crusts from the sliced bread, and tear or cut the slices into 1/2 " cubes
• Peel and slice bananas, place in a medium bowl and mash well
• In a large mixing bowl, add the 4 eggs, whisk until blended
• Add nutmeg and cinnamon, whisk
• Add one cup milk, whisk
• Add bananas, whisk
• Add remaining 2/3 cup milk, whisk
• Add cranberry sauce, whisk (or use hand mixer) until well dispersed
• Add cubed bread, and coat to mix, make sure all cubes are saturated
• Let mixture sit and absorb for an hour in the refrigerator
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease bunt pan with margarine
• Carefully transfer the batter from the bowl to the bunt pan
•  Bake for 1 hour

Cool completely before refrigerating.  Flavors will continue to develop a bit.

Mocha Swirl Brownies

Love brownies?  Oh, yeah, I think we both know you do.  Well here is a great little add-in to jazz up the pan and impress co-workers and loved ones, and it's so simple, fast and easy, it will become your new standard.  I sold these at a local farmers market years ago, and gained more loyal customers every week!

What you'll need:
A brownie mix (I prefer family sized, so they are thick in my cake pan), and eggs/oil that it calls for.
3-4 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 t instant coffee
1/4 C sugar
1/2  beaten large egg (crack, whip with a fork, and remove half of the goo)

To Make:

• Prepare the brownie mix as directed on the box, and pour/spread into pan (remember to grease if required)
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg and instant coffee
• Mix with a hand mixer until well blended, it will turn a bit peanut buttery in color
• With a spoon, distribute the mixture by drizzling over the brownie wet mix in long lines up and down the pan (try not to go side to side too, except maybe along the edges, for better swirls in the end)
• Take a metal butter knife and gently drag across lines (bisecting them) and creating nice swirl patterns in the brownie portion.
• Bake as directed per the mix.

That's it!  We really enjoy the dark chocolate brownies with this variation.  However, you could vary the flavor of the swirl by using caramel, peanut butter, or make it plain with vanilla extract (use about 1/2 t).

Monday's Timely Tilapia and Eggplant Orzo

I admit it, I was among those who scoffed at tilapia when it was such a craze across the country.  A freshwater fish—hmph!  Tasteless white fish, must be seasoned to the hilt to be attractive—hah!  Well….now I buy it in bags of frozen fillets at the grocery store, Sea Best brand.  It’s true, I’m still not a fan of tilapia seasoned lightly even pan-fried in olive oil, it’s too bland for me, but this dinner is a great solution to that.  I make tilapia about once a week, give or take, and this is a good stand-by recipe that is quick, easy, and requires such minimal effort from me…how can I resist?  Oh, yea…it tastes good too.

For tilapia for two…

Ingredients:

2 fillets tilapia, not frozen

1 T chopped garlic, sautéed until soft in olive oil

18 caper berries, ~ 9 each

Shredded parmesan cheese (about 1 ½ T of the thick shredded, or 1 ½ t of the fine grated)

 3 t olive oil, for drizzling

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

On a small baking sheet, drizzle a bit of olive oil

Place the fillets on top

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil (about 1/2 teaspoon) onto each fillet

Distribute the chopped garlic and capers

Season with pepper

Sprinkle with shredded parmesan

Bake for 15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily at its thickest part

Just before baking

So easy, and yet so flavorful!  It pairs well with a number of sides too.

On the side, Eggplant Orzo (for 2)

Ingredients:

3/4 C dry orzo

1 C eggplant, chopped and sweated

3 T onion, chopped

2 T garlic, chopped

2 T mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 T olive oil, divided for sautéing

1/2 T margarine

2 t dried basil

1 t garlic powder

1/4 t black pepper

To Make:

Bring water to a boil in medium pot, add orzo and cook as directed on box, Barilla brand was 9 minutes cooking time.

While this boils, sauté eggplant in half of olive oil until tender (depends on size chopped) but not saturated and mushy, set aside.

Saute onion and garlic until softened.

Drain orzo and rinse any remaining starch out of pot.

Melt margarine over remaining heat

Add orzo and toss

Add basil, garlic powder and black pepper, toss to distribute evenly

Add eggplant, onion and garlic

Plate and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella

Enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant with Feta and Beef

 This simple recipe makes 2 servings, and incorporates these cool long and skinny eggplants that are popular to grown down in the South.  Our very nice neighbor gave some to us, and this was a great way to use them up before they went pruny.  Eggplant + feta, how can you go wrong, right?  Right!  Especially when you add to the team my standing favorites...garlic and onion.

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, med-large, chopped

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

4 long eggplants, sliced in half, then in 1-2 inch pieces

1/2 pound ground beef

2 cups loose fresh spinach, long stems removed

4-5 oz. crumbled feta

10-12 small caper berries

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

salt for sweating (sea salt preferred)

olive oil for sauteing, approximately 1 ½-2 T

margarine for greasing

Do:

• Grease a 9 x 9 glass pan bottom and 1” up sides
• Sweat eggplant by sprinkling salt on cut side, let sit while sauteing onion and garlic, then mop with paper towel to absorb excess liquid
• Sauté onions at low heat just until they begin to break down and become limp, before browning
• Sauté garlic until softened, set aside with the onion



Almost wilted

• The olive oil will now have been mostly used up, add the eggplant in sections, placing the cut side face down on the skillet for about 2 minutes on low heat, flip and cook for another 2 minutes.  *Watch the coloring on the skin, it should be changed about 1/2 way up the sides with the meat getting tender but not mushy.  Set aside.
• Brown the ground beef at med-high heat, drain excess fat, lower heat
• Add to the beef the capers, lay the spinach leaves on top, and add the black pepper, turning with a spatula just until the spinach leaves start to wilt and are evenly dispersed

Assemble:

In the greased pan, place the eggplant, cut side up

Evenly distribute the onion/garlic mixture over this

Then add the beef/spinach/caper mixture

Top with the crumbled feta

Eggplant, face up

Add onion/garlic

Assembly complete

Cook:

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Remove cover and broil on high for 3-4 minutes, just until the feta begins to brown

Serve in bowls (will become tossed when you dish, this adds to appearance), with herbed orzo on the side.

The feta was the key ingredient here, it brought the necessary flavor to tie this together and make it quite good.  A regular, fat eggplant could be used as well, and the capers are optional, but add a nice salty bite.  Try it, change it, improve it!  Just let me know…