Showing posts with label holiday recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday recipes. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Simplistically Easy Cinnamon Rolls


I made these Christmas eve for my visiting in-laws to enjoy Christmas morning. 


They turned out wonderful!
Yes, they require yeast
BUT DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU FROM MAKING THEM. 
no proofing necessary
They take about an hour max to make,
 and you can even make the rolls the night before 
and then pop them in the oven for 15-20 min in the morning. 
Easy enough to make on a weekly basis for those who crave them often....
*cough* my husband *cough*


Ingredients:

Dough
1/2 cup milk, divided
1/2 cup buttermilk (you could just use milk if you don't have this, or make your own*)
3 cups, all purpose flour, divided
1/4 sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
Yeast: Option 1) 2 1/4 tsp Rapid Rise Yeast--best for bake right away rolls. 
           Option 2) 4 1/2 tsp Regular Active Yeast--best for overnight rolls.**

* Homemade buttermilk for this recipe can be made by placing 1/2 tbs vinegar or lemon juice in 1/2 cup and then the rest with milk. Stir and let sit for 5 min.
**you can use this for the bake right away rolls too, no problem.

Filling
1/2 cup butter, cubed (for less fat version 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce)
1/2 cup  brown sugar, packed
2 tsp cinnamon

Icing
1/2 cup milk
1 cup powdered sugar
option: add 2 oz cream cheese, melted

Directions:

Mix filling together with a fork or pastry blender, set aside

Blend 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in large blender bowl. 

Set aside 1/4 cup of milk and then in a small bowl heat  1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup buttermilk, and butter for 1 min 30 sec. 
Immediately add 1/4 cup milk to heated milk/butter mixture (helps cool it down faster)
Add egg and milk/butter mixture to flour and beat  until well combined
Switch to dough hooks-or dump on to a floured surface and knead by hand.
Slowly add in the last cup of flour while mixture is beating, about 1/4 cup at a time, until dough starts to gently pull away from bowl. 
Kneed for 5 more min. 
Dough should be sticky--a good thing!--but not wet--a bad thing.

Dump dough onto well floured surface and let rest for 10 min. 
Roll out dough to form a 12x14 shape

Spread mixed filling over the entire dough surface. 
Roll dough long ways into a log
Score/mark dough into 12 rolls
Take a piece of dental floss, or thin string and slide it under the roll and under each score/mark gently pull string up through the dough, cross string to cut. 
Place roll in greased 9x13 pan with enough room to rise between rolls
Repeat for the rest of the rolls. 
Cover with a clean towel.

Heat a small bowl of water in the microwave for about 5 min--or until water boils. 
Put pan in the steamy microwave (with bowl if possible) and let rise:
  • If you are planning on baking them same day leave in steamed microwave for 30 min to rise:
  • If you are planning on baking them in the morning/next day, leave in steamed microwave for 15 min to start rising then place in the fridge, still covered with cloth to rise slower over night. 

Preheat oven to 350. 
Place rolls in the oven for 15-20 min,or until tops are golden brown
Watch them closely, you don't want these over cooked.

While baking make icing by whisking all ingredients in a bowl then pour into a plastic bag and then cut off the tip. 
They were devoured quickly!
Drizzle over dough once out of the oven. 

ENJOY!!!!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Pistachio-Cran Sugar Cookies



Green and Red cookies



Can't get more Christmas-y  than these.

Oh and they are DELICIOUS. 
Pudding Cookies always are. 


So bake some of these colorful joys.

adapted from the girl who ate everything
Ingredients:
1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookies (1 lb bag)
1 box pistachio instant pudding mix (4 serving size)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup dry roasted pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl mix cookie mix, flour, and pudding mix. Add in melted butter, and eggs and blend well. Fold in pistachios and cranberries. 


Grab a small  ping-pong ball sized dough and roll between your palms. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and flatten with your  fingers.

Bake for 8-10 min.  
DO NOT OVER BAKE. 
THEY BROWN AND LOOSE GREEN COLOR.
 8 min was PERFECT FOR ME, they may look undercooked but THEY'RE NOT.
 Leave on sheet for about 2 min. TRUST ME. 

Cool for 2-5 min on rack. 



ENJOY!!!!






Friday, November 23, 2012

Stuffing Bread Cakes



Alright,

The big Turkey-Day passed us by and hopefully it was wonderful and full of joy and good memories with those whom you love. Mine sure was.

My contribution to the thanksgiving feast was the stuffing, or dressing--what they call it if it is not "stuffed" in the turkey, I didn't know this.
So when it was wasn't all devoured...I MADE A LOT...I had to take home the extras.

 
They also sent me home some turkey and, of course, what do you make with left over turkey from Thanksgiving? Make sandwiches!!!

So I decided to use my extra stuffing and create a "slice" of bread out of it. It came out more like a bread cakes but...


THEY WERE SOOOO GOOD!

Add some turkey and any other left overs and enjoy your mini feast.

Ingredients:

Leftover stuffing
Cooking spray (I used my misto which is filled with water and olive oil)

1tbs flax seed, ground + 3tbs water (You can use an egg too)

Directions:

Mix your flax seed with the 3tbs water. Let sit for 5 min.
Now heat small pan to medium  heat.
Grab a handful of the stuffing and place a plate or cutting board--any working space will do.
Spoon a few scoops of the flax seed mixture onto the stuffing. Get it wet!
Grab the bread and smush it together. It will get gooey, that is okay. Mold it into a "slice" of bread.
Since it is mushy it should mold easy, if not add more of the flax seed mixture.

Spray one side of the "slice" with cooking spray and  place that side down in the pan.
Let cook for 4-5 min.
Before you flip, spray the top side with cooking spray, then FLIP!
Cook for 4-5 more min.

***Mine did crumble a bit on the edges during the flip so I spooned a little bit of the flax seed mixture into the crack of the break and then pressed together the bread with the spatula. Worked like a charm***

Remove from heat and top with whatever leftover dressings you want!


ENJOY!!!!