What's Cooking Wednesday - Speedy Cinnamon Rolls

Have you ever really, really wanted homemade cinnamon rolls but didn't have the 2 hours plus it takes to make them from scratch?  If so, this recipe is for YOU!

Speedy Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from this recipe

3 cups all purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 1/4 cups milk + 2 Tbsp vinegar (or 1 1/4 cups buttermilk)

1 egg

3 Tbsp butter, softened

1/3 cup brown sugar

1-2 Tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl combine first 5 ingredients.  Mix well.  Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture looks like crumbs.  

Combine milk & eggs in a small bowl.  Add to crumb mixture and mix into dough.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 10 - 15 times.  Don't over knead but make sure dough is fully combined and not sticky.  Roll dough into a large rectangle (approx 16" X 12").  

Brush dough with softened butter, spreading evenly.  Sprinkly brown sugar and cinnamon over butter.  Roll the dough starting from one long side.  Pinch seam together and cut into 1" rounds.  Place on baking sheet (touching) and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe Notes:  Well, I forgot to put the cinnamon in these.  I didn't realize my mistake until right after I put them into the oven.  I pulled them out & sprinkled cinnamon all over the tops of the rolls.  They still turned out great.  These are more of a cinnamon biscuit than what you normally get as a roll because it doesn't use yeast.  My family has decided they actually prefer these.

If you prefer "real" cinnamon rolls, you can find recipe for those here and here.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Lettuce Wraps

I'm always looking for a kid friendly recipe to make when Will & Nicole are here. This definitely fits the bill. I adapted this recipe a bit because Nicole has a shellfish allergy so I couldn't use oyster sauce.  I also doubled the recipe to feed my starving tween stepson and I wanted leftovers. The recipe below reflects the changes & the doubling. 

Lettuce Wraps 

Adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

2 pounds ground turkey

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 large onion diced small

3 small garlic cloves, minced

1 piece fresh ginger, minced (mine was 2" X 2" piece)

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 can water chestnuts, drained and diced

6 Tbsp white wine or Chinese cooking wine

8 Tbsp reduced salt soy sauce

2 Tbsp Satay peanut sauce

3 Tbsp Hoisin sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 head iceberg or butter lettuce, cored and rinsed. Loosen the leaves, this will be your wrap

Chop all your veggies first because this recipe comes together pretty fast.

Mix together the soy sauce, peanut sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Heat a large skillet or stirfry pan over medium high heat.  Add oil.  Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften.  Add garlic and ginger.  Cook for a minute to heat it up.  Add the ground turkey.  Cook until the turkey is done.

Add the bell pepper and water chestnuts.  Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the white wine.  Cook for another minute and then add the sauce.  Stir and reduce for 3 or four minutes so sauce will thicken.  

Serve on the iceberg leaves with peanut sauce on the side.

Recipe Notes: Everyone LOVED these. The iceberg lettuce breaks a bit easy.  I think I will use butter lettuce next time as it is a bit more structurally stable.

Make sure to head over to Shan's to see what else is cooking this Wednesday.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 can tomatoes with chilis or spicy tomatoes (see note)
1 can black beans drained
4 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp tomato paste
4 cups hot water
1 cup niblet corn
3 Tbsp corn meal

Garnishes:
Corn tortillas cut into strips - toasted in a skillet with butter (yum!) until crispy
Sour Cream
Shredded cheese
Diced Red Onions
Avocado
Hot Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix spices in a small bowl.  Spritz chicken breasts with olive oil.  Sprinkle with a bit of the spice mixture.  Bake for 25 minutes or until done through.  Shred chicken with two forks.

Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Add onions, bell peppers and garlic.  Cook until onion is tender.  Sprinkle with remainder of spice mixture.  Add shredded chicken.  Stir to combine.

Add tomatoes, beans, broth, water and tomato paste.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Mix cornmeal with a bit of water and add to the soup.  Stir.  Add corn.  Simmer for an additional 30 minutes.  Taste soup and add salt if needed or chili powder if it needs more kick.

Remove soup from heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.  Top with garnishes & enjoy!

Recipe Notes: I used the tomatoes above instead of Rotel since you can NOT find Rotel in Canada.  This is such a great recipe. I moved the tortilla strips to a garnish because I ate this soup for lunch two days this week with NO GARNISH.  I know!  Pioneer Woman would NOT be impressed.

Head over to Shan's to see what else is cooking this Wednesday!

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Baked Ham

Sometimes I feel like I have been sick since November!  I'm down with yet another cold/flu but I keep telling myself that this is IT, the last one for winter, no.....really!  Regardless, here's a recipe for you though I am slacking on the picture.  Sorry!


World's Easiest Baked Ham:

- Smoked bone in half ham (fully cooked but with bone)
- 1 can of coke
-1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar (depends on size of ham)
- 2 - 3 Tbsp grainy mustard (")
- 3 - 4 Tbsp apple juice (enough to make a thin-ish paste)

Recipe Notes:  Just to be clear....this is using a fully cooked, smoked bone in ham NOT a raw ham!  Since we have a small family, I cut the ham in half.  I cook half now & then freeze the other half to cook later.  If you have a big family (really big) you can cook the whole thing.

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place ham cut side down in a large oven proof pot.  Pour in Coke.  Cover pot with lid or aluminum foil.  Bake for ~2 hours.

Mix brown sugar, mustard and juice into a thin-ish paste.  Take ham out of the oven, pour out most of the coke (leave about 1/2 inch), and brush mixture on the ham.  Recover and put ham back in the oven for another 30 - 45 minutes.  Let rest for a bit before cutting.  Serve.

Leftovers & the ham bone can be used to make Crockpot Split Pea soup (which is what I did) or Ham Tetrazinni.  This is a very inexpensive way to make dinners for the whole week.  I bought my ham at Costco for ~$20.  We cut the ham in half.  We cooked half for dinner Sunday night and froze the other half.  I then made Split Pea Soup for supper last night.  Half of that went in the freezer.  So for a $10 half of ham we got 2 dinners, tons of leftovers and a dinner of soup in the freezer.

Visit Shan over at The Fairy Blogmother to see what else is cooking this Wednesday!


365 Day Photo Project - I almost forgot to post it!

Evan's Halloween ghost is still up after New Year's.  Might as well leave it up until Halloween now!

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What's Cooking Thursday - Overnight Breakfast Enchiladas

A great recipe to make the night before!

Overnight Breakfast Enchiladas

2 cups ground ham
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped bell peppers
2 Tbsp oil
12 - 14 corn or flour tortillas
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (divided)
4 eggs
2 cups 2% milk
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2-3 drops hot sauce

Spray large casserole dish (11X17) with cooking spray.

Saute ham, onion and peppers in oil until onions & pepper are soft.

If you are using corn tortillas....microwave in a damp paper towel for ~1 minute or until soft & pliable.

Fill each tortilla with 2-3 Tbsp of filling and top with cheese (about another 2 Tbsp).  Roll and place seam side down in casserole dish.  Continue until pan is full.

In a large bowl beat eggs.  Add milk, flour, garlic powder & hot sauce.  Mix well.

Pour over enchiladas & cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate overnight.

Remove enchiladas from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking.  Remove plastic wrap before baking!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake enchiladas for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Sprinkle with a bit of additional cheese and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Serves 6 to 8

Recipe Notes:  This recipe tastes awesome!  Use baked ham & put through a meat grinder for ground ham.  You could also used finely chopped ham if you don't have a grinder.

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Love Thy Neighbor The Pioneer Woman Way!

So yesterday I blogged about the Crockpot Apple Butter I made.  Well, though it's a great gift, I wanted to do a bit more for our neighbors.  Enter The Pioneer Woman.....  Oh, you haven't met the lovely Ree?  She is lovely and so are her recipes.  You might get a bit fat if you ate her food all the time but it IS Christmas.

Okay...back to my story!

Last Christmas I received Ree's book "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" & ever since I have wanted to try her cinnamon roll recipe.  Unfortunately it makes 40-50 (!) cinnamon rolls.  That is WAY to many for me to make normally but at Christmas it is PERFECT!

Because I am being quite LAZY tonight I will send you over to Pioneer Woman land for the recipe.

Before you go here are a few pictures from my very own kitchen.....

Best pastry chef I know

Butter, sugar & cinnamon....yum!

Almost ready to go in the oven

Fresh out of the oven

After adding the ooey gooey icing.  

A few helpful hints.....round foil pans with lids are PERFECT for this.  No matter how ugly your rolls are when you cut them, they turn out beautifully.....oh and these are DIVINE.  You will question giving away a single, solitary pan even though it makes at least 6 pans!

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Homemade Christmas Gifts - Crockpot Apple Butter

I have NOT been feeling the holiday cookie baking this year.  I still wanted to give gifts to the neighbors, though, so I began looking for other things to make.  Here's one that I tried and it turned out awesome!

Crockpot Apple Butter
Adapted from Food.com

12 cups apples, peeled and chopped (I used Granny Smith)
3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until apples are covered in sugar mixture.  Place in crockpot and cook on high for 1 hour.

Decrease crockpot to low and cook for 9-12 hours or until apples turn brown and thicken.  Stir occasionally during this cooking time.

Use a whisk or a spoon to squish any remaining whole apple pieces.

Remove lid and cook for an additional hour on low.

Spoon into jars or freezer containers leaving 1 inch head space.  Apple butter can be used immediately (and refrigerated) or kept in the freezer for later.  You could also can it for room temp storage but canning is beyond me.  :)

Makes 8 250ml (1 cup) jars with a bit left over.

Recipe Notes:  I used white and brown sugar because I ran out of white sugar (crazy I know!).  I found this very sweet but Dewey loved it.  I think you should definitely cut back on the sugar if you use sweeter apples or if you want a less sweet product.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Fluffy Pancakes

We eat A LOT of pancakes around here.  So many, in fact, that Evan even made a song about himself called Pancake Boy.  For years I've been making the pancake recipe out of the Better Homes & Gardens Baking Book but lately they've been flat & uninspiring.  So off to Allrecipes I went in search for a new recipe.  And boy did I find one......

Fluffy Pancakes
Adapted from Allrecipes

3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 egg, beaten

Mix milk and vinegar together and let set for 5 minutes for milk to "sour".

In a large bowl mix together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Mix melted butter into the soured milk.  Add the egg and mix well.  Pour milk/egg mixture into the flour mixture & stir until combined.  Let sit for a few minutes until it "puffs" a bit.

Cook pancakes on a hot griddle.  Serve hot with butter & syrup.

Serves 4 (but only 4 light eaters)

Recipe Notes:  This makes a smallish amount of pancakes.  We have a few left when it is Dewey, Evan & I but when Will & Nicole are here I definitely double the recipe.  Leftover pancakes freeze well and can be microwaved later for a quick breakfast.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Cranberry Sauce

I have always been a fan of canned cranberry sauce because honestly it tasted pretty good.  Boy, I DID NOT know what I was missing!  This recipe is super easy, makes your house smell amazing & tastes WONDERFUL.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce
from Daphne Hendrix from Guin, AL


12 oz bag of fresh cranberries or 3 cups frozen
3/4 c. orange juice
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar


Place all ingredients in sauce pan and cook on med-hi for 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced, stirring occasionally. Cranberries should have popped by then. Remove from heat and serve! Makes about 2 cups (about the same as one can).




Linked up at What's Cooking Wednesday over at Shan's! 

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Top Ten Tuesday - Yummy Homemade Christmas Gifts!

I love giving gifts from the kitchen!  Yummy, inexpensive and consumable so no pile of "stuff" left over after Christmas.  I have linked to recipes for all of the ideas below.

1. Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix in a pretty jar tied with a ribbon to attach a spoon.  You can also add marshmallows and label it as "Snowman Poop".
2. A nice tin or tray filled with homemade cookies.  Dollar Stores often carry beautiful tins that are very inexpensive.  They can then be reused by your recipient next year.  Some great cookie choices are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter crunchies, magic cookie bars or iced sugar cookies.
3. A pan full of fudge.  Ooey, gooey, chocolate goodness.  What more can I say?
4. A loaf of quick bread wrapped in cellophane & a nice bow.  Good ones to try are cranberry banana bread, banana bread or whole wheat beer bread.
5. A bag or a tin of Nuts and Bolts (aka Chex Mix).  This makes a great savoury option for Christmas giving.
6. A jar full of Cookie Mix to be enjoyed after the holidays.
7. A cellophane bag of Peppermint Bark.  Yum!
8. Looking for something different?  How about a basket of breakfast muffins?  Try Blueberry muffins, Morning Glory muffins or Banana Chocolate Chip muffins.
9. How about a tin of Praline Pecans and Cranberries?
10. Looking for an even healthier treat?  A basket full of homemade granola bars will please even the pickiest gift recipient.

What are your favorite gifts to give at Christmas?

This post is linked up at Oh Amanada for Top Ten Tuesday!

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Southern Cooking - Cornbread Stuffing

Whenever I think about Thanksgiving the one dish that epitomizes the South is cornbread stuffing (or dressing as we called it).  I never really knew that any other kind of stuffing existed....except that stuff in the box that no one I knew had ever purchased.

We never put the stuffing in the actual turkey....not sure why though I was always glad because it honestly grosses me out a bit.  Oh and dressing isn't just for Thanksgiving....we also had it for Christmas and occasionally as an everyday treat with chicken or ham chopped up in it as a main dish.

Before you make stuffing....you have to make cornbread.  Now this is confession time.  I use "cornbread mix" that I bring back from Alabama in my suitcase.

Since you can pretty much only find this in the Southern US & I'm sure most of you would NOT be willing to drag 5 lbs of cornmeal back in your suitcase....Pioneer Woman to the rescue.  She published a recipe here.  You can also use your favorite recipe but make sure it has NO SUGAR!  Stuffing is supposed to be savory not sweet.  

Also....the key to cooking cornbread is cooking it in a cast iron skillet.  Whatever oil the recipe calls for, pour it in the skillet and then put the skillet in the oven during preheat.  When the oven is heated, carefully take out the pan, pour the oil into the mix & quickly stir it.  Then pour the mix back in the pan and into the oven it goes.  This insures a brown & crispy crust.  Yum!

This is what it should look like when you pour it in the skillet... Bubbles!

Here's what it looks like after baking.  Yummy!

Now on to the Stuffing:

Cornbread Stuffing:

2 X 9" skillets of cornbread, cooled & crumbled

1 medium onion, chopped fine

4 stalks celery, chopped fine

2 Tbsp butter

2 cans condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

2 eggs

1 Litre (or quart) of Chicken Broth

2-3 Tbsp sage (to taste)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Preaheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a frying pan.  Cook onions and celery until soft and starting to brown.

Crumble cornbread into a large bowl.  Add cooked onions & celery.  Add condensed soup and eggs.  Stir.  Add enough chicken broth to moisten it to a mud like consistency (I know, I know....I'm trying to be descriptive but it totally depends on how dry your cornbread is).  Add seasonings to taste. 

Pour into a buttered 9X13 baking dish.  Bake for 45 minutes or until middle is set and top is starting to brown.  Serve with turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce.  Yum!

My stuffing got pushed to the last minute on Saturday so it was still in the oven when all the photos were taken.  Not ONE photo.  Doh!

What recipe really stands out when you remember holidays from your childhood?  Do you cook it for you and your family today?

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I haven't been baking which is leading to mutinous rumblings around the house.  I decided to bake cookies for Evan and I wanted to try something different.  Peanut butter and chocolate are one of my favorite combos so trying this recipe was a no-brainer!

Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from About.com

3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flours, baking soda and salt.

Cream butter and peanut butter together until smooth.  Add sugars and mix well.  Mix in egg, egg yolk and vanilla.  Fold in flour mixture until well mixed.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until starting to brown around the edges.

Recipe Notes:  These cookies were tasty but mine were NOT soft and chewy.  They were crispy from the get go and just got crispier.  Evan and Dewey were big fans but these cookies left me "meh".  Definitely worth a try if you like peanut butter & chocolate.

Check out what else is Cooking this Wednesday over at Shan's!

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Roasted Sausages, Peppers and Potatoes

Looking for an inexpensive, tasty winter meal?  So was I!

One of my favorite blogs for recipes is Sweetnicks.  When I saw her recipe for Roasted Sausages & Peppers, I thought....gotta try that soon!

Roasted Sausages, Peppers and Potatoes
Adapted from Sweetnicks


1 package Mild Italian Turkey Sausages (raw) such as Tailgaters, chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 medium onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 bell peppers cut into 1-inch pieces
3 medium potatoes cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix sausage, onions, peppers and potatoes in a large baking dish (9X13 or larger) sprayed with cooking spray.  Pour balsamic vinegar over the mixture and stir.  Bake until the potatoes are tender and starting to brown and the sausage is done through.  This can take from 45 minutes up to 1 hour + depending on pan size.  Remove pan from the oven and add 2 Tbsp water.  Wait a few minutes and then stir while scraping the browned bits.  Pile into toasted rolls if desired.

Recipe Notes:  I used a 9X13 pan and it was so full that the cooking time was LONG.  I ended up separating it into two pans so that it would cook faster.  I cut the balsamic back in the recipe above b/c I found the original Sweetnicks recipe to vinegary.  We thought this recipe was really tasty and easy.  I want to make it again and switch up the veggies in it.  Maybe add chickpeas.  Definitely worth a try and it is a very inexpensive recipe.

This recipe is linked up over at The Fairy Blogmother for What's Cooking Wednesday.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Banana Pudding for a Crowd

Even though I am from the South, I have never actually made banana pudding before (shocker I know!!!!).   This week I teamed up with a couple of other Sales guys at work to cook for charity, we chose a "Southern" theme for our submission.  I volunteered to make banana pudding.   Easy, peasy....right?  Well, I forgot about it and then had to figure out a recipe last minute.  Thankfully Allrecipes.com had my back.

I would definitely call this a "cheater" recipe.  Traditional banana pudding has a "cooked" pudding base while this recipe has an instant pudding base.  Regardless it tastes AWESOME and was a big hit with everyone.

***I have pictures but Blogger is being testy...I will post ASAP.***


Banana Pudding for a Crowd
Serves 30+
Adapted from this recipe that serves 8 (so it says)

3 cans condensed milk
4 1/2 cups cold water
3 small packages vanilla instant pudding
6 cups whipping cream, whipped
2 boxes Nilla wafers
12 bananas (+/- depends how big they are)
additional whipped cream for garnish
1 disposable rectangular turkey roaster pan

In a large bowl combine condensed milk and water.  Stir until well mixed.  Add vanilla pudding and mix well with a whisk.  Chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

Whip whipping cream in small batches (you cannot whip 6 cups of cream in a normal mixer at one time....ask me how I know).

Peel bananas and cut them into 1/2 inch thick circles.  Toss banana pieces with lemon juice to keep from browning.  Set aside.

Gently fold whipped cream into chilled pudding mixture until just mixed.  Spread 1/4 of the mixture in the bottom of the roaster pan.  Follow with a layer of vanilla wafers and then a layer of bananas.  Top with pudding mixture, layer of cookies, layer of bananas & finish off with the rest of the pudding.  Chill over night if possible.

To serve, add additional whipped cream for garnish.

Recipe Notes:  This is BIG.  It will serve a lot of people.  It is a big party pleaser, though, so it is worth it.  My friend Jolene said "It's like a slice of heaven."  If you have a smaller group just make the original recipe.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - One Cup Cookies

Thanks to my Twitter pal @MichelleLKent for this recipe!  They turned out great and were very popular with the guys on Dewey's golf trip and ladies at work.  This recipe makes a large batch so you can put part of them in the freezer for later.

One Cup Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup coconut (I didn't use b/c I didn't have)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup Crainsins
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars together.  Add eggs and peanut butter.  Mix well.  Add remaining ingredients.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 10 minutes.

Recipe Notes:  This makes A LOT of cookies.  They spread quite a bit so don't put them too close together.

Head over to Shan's to see what else is cooking this Wednesday!

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Cinnamon Rolls

Evan had his first cinnamon rolls at Nana's house.  He LOVED them!  When I told him we were going to have a Mommy weekend the only thing he specifically asked to do was to make cinnamon rolls.  I've never tried to make them so I was a little worried but I figured "how hard can it be?"

Cinnamon Rolls
from Allrecipes

3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 (.25 oz) quick rise yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buter, softened

Heat milk in a small sauce pan until it starts to bubble.  Remove from heat and add butter.  Cool to lukewarm.

In a large bowl mix the whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup of the all purpose flour, yeast, sugar and salt.  Add the milk mixture, egg and water.  Mix well.  Add remaining flour and mix well.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.  Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and butter in a small bowl.

Prepare a 11X13 pan by coating the bottom and sides with butter.  Leave a bit of extra butter in the bottom if you want extra gooey cinnamon-y goodness on the bottom.

Roll out the dough into a 12X9 rectangle.  Spread butter mixture evenly across the dough.

Roll up and pinch the seam to seal.  Cut into 12 equal rolls.  Place in the prepared pan, cover and let rise until doubled (usually around 30 mins).

Before Rise

After

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe Notes:  So my rolls didn't really rise like they were supposed to.  Thankfully when I baked them they poofed up wonderfully.  These turned out so well.  YUMMY!

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Honey Wheat Bread

Karen over at Notes From the Cookie Jar has renamed her recipe section Chasing Tomatoes to chronicle her new year long focus on eating less processed food and eating more local food.  Reading all her posts have made me think more about what we eat.  I figured I should give bread making another try...this time with whole wheat four.

Honey Wheat Bread
Adapted from this recipe from allrecipes.com

3 cups warm water
2 packages dry active yeast
1/3 cup agave nectar
5 cups whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 Tbsp salt
2 - 6 cups additional whole wheat flour

Mix warm water, yeast, agave nectar and 5 cups whole wheat flour in a large bowl.  Let sit for 30 minutes or until it has "grown" and is bubbly.

Mix in melted butter, additional agave and salt.  Add 2 cups whole wheat flour and mix well.  Turn onto a floured surface and knead additional whole wheat flour in to the dough until it is no longer sticky.  This can take an additional 2 to 4 additional cups flour depending on humidity, etc.

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray.  Put dough in and turn once to coat with oil.  Place in a warm place (like your oven with the oven light on but the oven off) to rise until the dough doubles in size.

Going into the oven to rise.

After doubling.

Punch down and form into 3 loaves.  Place in prepared pans and let rise again until dough is 1 inch above top lip of pan.

Starting the second rise.

After the second rise.

Preaheat oven to 350 degrees and bake loaves for 25 to 30 minutes.  The bread should sound hollow when you tap on the top of the loaf.  Remove loaves from pan and cool on cooling racks.

Baked goodness!

Recipe Notes:  This bread turned out really well if a bit sweet.  Next time I make this I will cut back on the agave nectar.  I may try to cut back to just 1/3 of a cup total.  Otherwise I wouldn't change a thing.  I don't have 3 loaf pans so I made 2 loaves and a pan of rolls.

This is linked to What's Cooking Wednesday over at Tales From the Fairy Blogmother!

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Raspberry Cream Pie

So, I have to admit it....I *heart* The Pioneer Woman.  She totally rocks. I have to stay away from her blog, though, because I don't work on a farm and if I make too many of her recipes I will gain a billion pounds!  I have no problem making her recipes when friends come over.  Extra people insure there won't be too many leftovers for me to inhale!

You can find her recipe here.  I didn't make it exactly to her specs because I used what is available in Canada and to be honest I have NO IDEA if the yogurt I used is the same as the size she used.  I used two individual yogurts out of a multipack of Yoptimal.  Regardless it turned out great and everyone LOVED it.

Definitely check out the recipe and the rest of Pioneer Woman's site.  Just don't say I didn't warn you!

Don't forget to head over to Shan's to see what else is cooking this Wednesday!

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Healthy Jambalaya Rice

I'm not sure my title does much more justice to this recipe than the magazines title but I just couldn't bring myself to call it "Dirty Rice" because....well....it isn't dirty rice not even close.  It is, however, a very yummy and healthy dinner that you should definitely try!

Healthy Jambalaya Rice
adapted from Clean Eating Magazine (Creole Dirty Rice) - Serves 6

1 cup Instant Brown Rice (I used Uncle Ben's)
3 Tailgater's Turkey Mild Italian Sausages
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced (discard core & seeds)
1 cup fresh brown mushrooms coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 oz can red kidney beans (I think it was 14oz...just the regular size can)
1 bay leaf
2 tomatoes cored seeded & finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (I used Hy's)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional: Frank's Red Hot or Tabasco Sauce

Prepare rice per package instructions.

Boil sausages for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked through.  Drain & cool before slicing into rounds.

Spray the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray.  Heat over medium high heat.  Cook onions, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic until tender.  About 3 to 5 minutes.  Add kidney beans and bay leaf.  Heat through (about 3 minutes).  Add tomatoes and and cook for 10 - 15 more minutes.

Remove bay leaf.  Add cajun seasoning, rice and sausage to pot.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Season to taste & serve.

Recipe Notes:   The seasoning in this recipe leaves it very NOT spicy.  I left it this way in the hopes that Evan would eat it.  He ate the sausage and the mushrooms but nothing else.  Instead of upping the cajun seasoning, we used Frank's Red Hot sauce to give it a kick.  Dewey loved this recipe and wants it again soon.

Head over to Shan's to see what else is cooking this Wednesday!

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Meal Plan for Week of August 2nd

I've kind of fallen off the meal planning bandwagon lately but I am putting myself firmly back on it as of now!  So without further ado.....

Sunday - Meatball Subs (Clean Eating Magazine May/June edition p 43) with fresh steamed green beans and peach crisp for dessert - This turned out great BTW.  So yummy!

Monday - Sweet & Sour Chicken with brown rice (Clean Eating Magazine July/August Edition p. 63)

Tuesday - Creole Dirty Rice (Clean Eating Magazine May/June edition p. 75)

Wednesday - Baked Salmon with Black Bean Salsa & Quick Corn Saute (Clean Eating May/June Edition p. 46)

Thursday - Southwestern Bean Chowder (Healthy Cooking p. 33)

One thing to note....I am by no means a "Clean Eating" person but I love, love, love Clean Eating magazine.  The recipes are healthy, yummy and usually very simple.  It is a great subscription to get or magazine to pick up.  Definitely worth the money!  **I updated this post to include a link to Clean Eating's website.  There are lots of great recipes on there as well.**

So....what are you eating this week?


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Oh, I forgot to mention that recipes from Merry With Children were featured here in the last few weeks:

Over at LittleRedSaid

Everything Mom Meal Plans here and here

Over at Life with L&T

Also, I would love to see you over at the Merry With Children Facebook Page!  Don't forget to push the "Like" button!

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