Quick Cinnamon Rolls

{so sweet i can feel the cavities and diabetes setting in}
I don't know about you but when you are out shopping at the malls with the scent of the CinnaBun station from what seems like miles away, some form of symbiosis happens in my brain, and I immediately think- Christmas. But really, they are good any time of the year! Just make sure to go see your dentist after wards. 

 Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup warm water
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup oil
3 tablespoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
5 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon (essentially as much or as little as you'd like)

Directions:
In a medium bowl add water, sugar, oil and yeast. Mix to combine and let rise for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, or stand mixer with bread hook, add yeast mixture, half the flour, salt and eggs. Mix with hook, once it's combined add remaining flour. Dough should clear the sides of the bowl. If you don't have a stand mixer, your hands work just fine! Spray your counter, and roll out dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Spread with a thin layer of butter, enough so your cinnamon and brown sugar will stick to the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon, and then sprinkle with brown sugar. Roll up long ways, and cut into 18 (1 inch thick) slices. Dental floss works great. Place on sprayed cookie sheet. Let rise for for 15 minutes.

After a final rising, pop them in the oven and bake at 400F for 15 minutes, or until the tops are slightly browned. Cool slightly and frost with your favorite icing.
Powdered Sugar Icing:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
Mix together in a medium bowl. Add more milk or powdered sugar to reach the consistency to drizzle over cinnamon rolls.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 3oz package of cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Beat cream cheese and butter with electric mixer until smooth, then add powdered sugar and mix until well blended, then add vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.

Cranberry Pummmmpkin Bread

{tis' the freakin' season}
Can I just tell you how much I love pumpkin flavored anything? It's funny because pumpkin pie, is not my number one favorite. But put pumpkin in anything else, and I'm yours. I can't get enough of it! I especially love the way it makes your house smell. Reminds me of grandma's house during November and December. It's so welcoming and pleasant. I thought that breads like this were for experienced bakers only. To my surprise, it was quite easy-- minus of course, my big flaw of not cooking the first loaf entirely before taking it out of the oven. That's right my friends, this is the second loaf! The inside of the first loaf, literally was the same consistency of the batter that went into the oven in the beginning. I went ahead and did some research on why this happened, and what I could do to rectify it. So here is what I found:

Bread sticks to pan. Unless you're using high-quality nonstick metal or silicone baking pans, you should always grease the pans before you pour in the batter. The best thing to use for greasing the pan is shortening, because its melting point is higher than any other kind of fat, which helps maintain a "shield" between pan and batter while the bread is baking. A high-quality cooking spray--one that won't bake on to your pans and discolor them--is also a fast, easy fix. You can also prevent sticking by removing the bread from the pan sooner: let the bread cool for at least twenty minutes in order to set (Bundt loaves should cool twice as long) before inverting the pan.
There are big holes and "tunnels" in the bread, and/or the bread is tough. These problems are usually caused by over-mixing. See above, Mixing the Batter, about mixing technique.
There's a big crack down the middle of the quick bread loaf. The crack on top happens when top of the loaf "sets" in the heat of the oven before the bread is finished rising. Don't worry--it's normal for quick breads. Drizzle the loaf with icing or dust with confectioners' sugar.
The bread looks done on the outside but it's still raw in the middle. This is one of the most common quick bread problems, and it can be caused by a few different factors. The oven temperature could be too high. (Use an oven thermometer to check: they're cheap and available at most supermarkets.)
Try lowering the oven temperature and/or putting a loose tent of foil over the top of the bread so it won't burn before the middle has time to catch up.

Another cause of "raw center" syndrome could be using a different pan than the recipe calls for. One of the nice things about quick breads is that you can use the same batter to make muffins, mini loaves, jumbo loaves, or rounds. But each size requires different baking times--and some require different baking temperatures. The larger and thicker the loaf, the longer it's going to take to bake. If you're using a different size pan than your recipe calls for, adjust the baking time accordingly and check the bread often.

Taken from allrecipes.com. So... I had to try it again to prove that I could do it. And whadda know... it worked! I adjusted my oven temperature and I covered it with foil the last 10 minutes, and now I have yummy, yummy pumpkin bread to eat!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (optional) (you could also throw in nuts and/or chocolate chips)

Directions:
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Add pumpkin and mix; set aside. In another bowl sift flour, baking soda, and spices. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamy mixture. Mix until just blended. Fold in cranberries. Grease one loaf pan or four mini loaves. Pour batter into pans. For one loaf, bake at 350F for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. For mini loaves, bake at 350F for about 35-40 minutes.

FYI... this makes a fantastic gift to give to your neighbors and friends!
recipe adapted from The Essential Mormon Cookbook.

Aunt Judi's Shepard's Pie

{thanks aunt judi!} 
A family recipe that I'm glad to finally have as part of my recipe collection. Mmm... it's so good. I was a bit skeptical because I'm not a fan of things that are too meaty. I like the taste and the flavor but sometimes it's just too much for me, and I end up picking it out and eating around it. This was perfect. Not too much, and it had just enough mashed potatoes to balance it out! Give it a whirl, I'm guessing you'll love it, too!

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef sirloin
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 cup fresh or frozen peas (or you could use green beans...)
1 8oz can Tomato Soup
6 potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed (or 8 servings of instant mashed potatoes)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Brown ground beef in oil, then add onion, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until onion is tender. Drain. Put into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with peas (or green beans). Spread/pour tomato soup over peas. Top with mashed potatoes. Then sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350F for 15-18 minutes, or until it's bubbly on the sides the cheese is melted.
Enjoy! 

Soft Pretzels

{i could just eat these all day}
I have to give credit to my dear hubby, Warren, for coming up with the idea of making pretzels. It was his idea. I hate to admit it, but that's what we had for dinner... straight pretzels. Sad, huh? Oh the joys of being poor married students- livin' on a prayer, baby!

 Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons melted butter
veggie oil for greasing the bowl

Finishing:
Cooking spray
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel or Kosher Salt

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine water, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix with mixer on low to dissolve yeast. Add in flour and melted butter and mix until just before dough starts to come together. Then add dough to your awesome 1980's Bosch mixer, using the bowl fitted for the dough hook (or if you are living in today's world, your Kitchen Aid mixer with dough hook). Mix until dough comes together and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to a bowl lightly greased with veggie oil, turn once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 50-55 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 450F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray. Bring the 10 cups of water and baking soda to a boil in a large pot.

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope shape about 20-24 inches long. Make a "U" shape, and then twist, pinching the ends down to secure (you all know how to make a pretzel shape... we've all watched the guy do it at the Pretzel place in the mall). Don't judge my kitchen... or my husband who has his tongue sticking out.

Once each piece is in the shape of a pretzel, pop one or two in the boiling water. Keep it in there for 30 seconds, removing it using a slotted spatula. Place it back on the parchment paper. Once they have all had their boiling bath, brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Then bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown or darker on the edges. Let cool before eating!

Serve with whatever you like to eat them with... my top favorites are cream cheese with marinara, nacho cheese, caramel, and chili (weird, huh?).

Directions for freezing:
You can do this many ways, they all work just fine. After the dough was split into 8 pieces, I froze them just in their ball form. You can also twist and boil them, and then freeze, so you just have to bake them straight from the freezer. I don't, however, recommend baking them and then freezing because reheating causes them to be tough and chewy.

Source: Annie's Eats via Alton Brown

Stuffing & Mashed Potato Cupcakes, anyone?

{i have no idea what to call these- other than delicious}
I saw these on one of my new favorite foodie blogs, way far back in her archives. I must have been looking for something specific. With Thanksgiving coming up (Canadian Thanksgiving is just around the corner) these looked and sounded wonderful, not to mention EASY and ADORABLE!

Ingredients:
1 box Turkey Stuffing (and the ingredients to make it)
4 servings of instant mashed potatoes (or the real stuff depending on how much time you have) (and the ingredients to make it)
1 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar)
Dried Parsley 

What ya do is: Prepare stuffing as per directions. Spray cupcake pan with cooking spray. Scoop a spoonful of stuffing into each little cupcake slot, and press the stuffing down so not to have air pockets, like this:

Then make your mashed potatoes (or if you are making them scratch, you probably would have wanted to start making them hours ago). Once your mashed potatoes are done, scoop a spoonful and plop it on top of the stuffing in each cupcake slot. Press down. If you have left over potatoes you can obviously add more to each cupcake. Sprinkle with cheese and Parsley. Bake for 10 minutes at 325F. Goes great with turkey for Turkey Day! 

Source: The Ungourmet

Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies

{chocolate; a love story}
Just make sure to bake yours all the way. I'm only human, I must admit. I open the oven door too much and thus my things usually need to be baked longer. Like these. They were good the second day after they set up more, still the best brownies I've ever had in my life- which is quite the compliment since this was my first time making them from scratch. They were pretty amazing, I have to say. Chocolaty like you wont believe, and a flaky top that only boxed mixes can achieve!

Ingredients:
1/2 half cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all purpose flour (for more cake like brownies use cake flour, or self rising flour)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (separate from the rest)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

 Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F. Spray 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. In medium sauce pan, bring water, butter and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, stir to combine. Sift in flour and baking soda. Once the batter is cool, add in the other semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips, and mix. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until brownies have set up (you can use the tooth pick trick, too). Enjoy!

 

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

{mmm... alfredo-y}
I've recently noticed how versatile cream cheese is. You can do so many things with it! So, if you've got extra cream cheese just sitting around, here is a great way to use it up!

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) package light cream cheese
2 cups of milk
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
1/4 cup butter
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups Broccoli, cut up and seamed
1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
dash of Nutmeg
dash of Oregano

Directions:
In a medium pot, melt butter on medium to low heat. Once it's melted, add your cream cheese. Mix to combine, until smooth and cream cheese is melted completely. Add milk a little bit at a time, keep whisking to keep it smooth. Add your cheeses in between milk. Once all your milk is incorporated, add your seasonings, chicken, and broccoli. Pour over your favorite pasta. If too thin, let it cook longer, if too thick, add more milk. Garnish with Parmesan, if you wish!

Un-holy Macaroni

{you in the mood for something utterly unhealthy?}
Comfort food at it's most indulgent form. I can't even tell you how many calories are in this, but I'm guessing a lot. You only need a small portion of this sinful goodness...

Ingredients:
16 oz. Tortellini pasta
2 cups (500 mL) half and half creamer (you can substitute milk for the creamer, makes it less heavy) 
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated (I used 2 cups of cheddar, and 1 cup Mozzarella)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup butter (I only used 2 spoon fulls)
1 cup broccoli, chopped into small pieces (you can use more if you'd like, or not use any at all)
2 cloves garlic, minced
teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
dash of onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil pasta for 5-7 minutes, then add broccoli and cook until pasta is al dente. In crock pot, add soup, creamer, and garlic- whisk together. Once pasta/broccoli is cooked, strain and add to crock pot. Add cheese, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce and butter. Mix well to incorporate. Cook on high for about an hour to an hour and a half. Top with American cheese slices, Velveeta works even works better, before serving.

Now, go hit the treadmill... you'll need it after this!