Quick & Easy Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls are quick and easy with only 30 minutes needed for rising.  If you are careful not to add too much flour and leave the dough nice and sticky, then you will have perfect rolls every time.  These are perfectly soft and very ooey-gooey.  Also great because they only make one pan of rolls.

Quick & Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp. butter
3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp. yeast (or 1 pkg. instant yeast)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg

Filling:

1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, melted

Place milk and 4 Tbs. butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for a minute and a half.  Butter should be mostly melted.  Stir and set aside to cool.  (Can also heat on stove top for this step.  Heat just until milk is scalded.)

In mixer bowl combine 2 cups flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt.  When milk mixture has cooled to warm (not hot) add it to the flour mixture while mixer is going.  Whisk egg and add to mixture.  Beat for about 1 minute or until ingredients are well combined.

Switch to dough hook on mixer and add remaining flour until dough just starts to leave the sides of the bowl.  It will be very soft and a little sticky.  Continue to knead for 5 minutes.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Roll dough into a rectangle about 12x14 inches.  Spread melted butter over dough.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Sprinkle evenly over butter.  Be sure to go all the way to the ends.  Roll up from the longer side and pinch edges closed.  Cut into about 12 rolls using dental floss.  Place in a greased baking pan.  Cover pan with a clean towel and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.  Spread with icing while still warm.

Makes about 12 rolls.

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. softened butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2-1 tsp. almond extract

2-3 Tbsp. milk

Cream powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and 2 Tbsp. milk.  Mix until smooth and creamy.  If too thick, add more milk half a tablespoon at a time until desired thickness.  Spread on warm cinnamon rolls.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

This is a yummy salad I found on Pioneer Woman last summer.  That's when I made it, too, and I'm just getting around to posting it.  It was really good!  Since it's now summer again and salads are always welcome, I decided I better get it posted.  One change I made was to use regular black olives instead of the Kalamata olives (which I love but are a little too strong for the other 5 people eating in this house.)  You can go to her site for her great step-by-step directions. 

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

1 (7 oz.) jar Sundried Tomatoes, packed in oil

4 cloves garlic

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt & pepper to taste

Salad Ingredients:

1 package (16 ounces) corkscrew pasta

1 jar Kalamata or assorted olives

1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

10 basil leaves, chopped or julienne

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Dressing:

In a blender combine sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped.  Continue blending while drizzling in olive oil until mixed together.

Pasta:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water until no longer hot.

Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta.  Add olives and toss together.  Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking.

Serve on a big platter with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Cheesecake Dip

This is a great dip for fruits, graham crackers, or vanilla wafers.  Great with the graham cracker crumbs but I make it without most of the time.  Can also be used as a delicious filling for crêpes with fresh berries and fruits or as a pancake topping.  We save this recipe for special occasions!

Cheesecake Dip

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp. milk

1/4 tsp. almond extract

2-3 Tbsp. sugar (or to taste)

1 pint fresh strawberries (we also like bananas, pineapple, apples, grapes, berries)

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (optional)

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add sour cream, sugar, milk, and extract; mix until smooth.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Place strawberries and crumbs in separate serving bowls.  Dip strawberries/fruit into cheesecake mixture, then into dry crumbs.  Enjoy!

Garden Muffins

These muffins are lightly sweetened and packed with "good" stuff like whole grains, vegetables, and walnuts.  Great for breakfasts or snacks.  Eat these slightly warm with a pat of butter or your favorite spread and you are set!  There are no eggs or dairy and you'd never even know!  You can make them mini-sized, regular, or jumbo!  I have rectangle muffin tins so that's why mine look like mini-loaves.

Garden Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (white wheat is the best)

1/2 cup oats, slightly ground (I just whirl them through my blender for a few seconds)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar (or 1/4 cup sugar if you don't have maple syrup or agave)

1/4 cup oil

1 cup grated zucchini

1/2 cup grated carrots

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (almond, rice, soy, etc.) or regular milk if you want

1/2 cup raisins, optional

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, optional

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  In another large bowl, combine applesauce, maple syrup/agave and oil.  Add zucchini and carrots and then stir in milk.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, then stir in raisins and walnuts and mix until well-combined.

Spoon batter into lightly greased muffin cups, filling each cup until almost full.  Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes for regular size muffins or 25-30 minutes for jumbo, until muffins are lightly golden and toothpick comes out clean.  Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.  Store leftover muffins covered at room temperature.  Makes about 12 regular-sized muffins.

Sunflower Seed Sour Cream

This is a great non-dairy/non-soy version of sour cream.  It tastes delicious and is less expensive to make than the cashew version.  It is great served on taco salad, fajitas, or anything else you would put sour cream on. (Or you can eat it by the spoonful, which is how my kids like to eat it!)  This is one time when you can let the kids eat as much sour cream as they want!  It actually makes the meals even more filling I've found.  The leftovers are also great served as a dip for veggies.  Make sure you use raw, unsalted sunflower seeds-not roasted.  I buy mine in the bulk bins at my local health food store.  Keeps for about 2 days in the fridge.

Sunflower Seed Sour Cream

1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup water
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove pressed (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Easy Breezy Breadsticks

This is a recipe I got from my friend Becca.  I have made them so many times when I'm short on time and want breadsticks with dinner.  They are so quick and easy and best of all...no rising time!  I have recently started making them with half whole wheat flour and they are so good!  One thing Becca suggested was to put the rolled out dough into a jelly roll pan and then cut them in there.  I just use a pizza cutter to cut them.  That helped a lot because this is a very soft and sticky dough!  I use a pastry brush to brush melted butter on top and then sprinkle with garlic salt or any other spices you'd like.

Easy Breezy Breadsticks

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Mix the rest of the ingredients. Roll the dough out into rectangle and cut 1 in. wide and however long you want your breadsticks to be. (I just put my rolled out dough into a jelly roll pan and cut them in there.) Butter the top, add garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, basil, cinnamon and sugar, etc. Bake at 375* for 20 min. (they rise quite a bit in the oven).

Cooked Frosting

I've been seeing this recipe all over blogland for awhile now and decided to try it out.  It's been awhile since I made it.  My kids and I made some Easter cupcakes and used this frosting.  I have to say it was very delicious and definitely not as sweet as most frostings.  That was a definite plus!  It was smooth and creamy and easy to work with for decorating.  The crazy part is that there is NO powdered sugar but there is FLOUR!  If you're looking for a good frosting recipe that isn't sickly sweet...give this one a try!  I've found the recipe on multiple sites so I'm just going to type the one I have written in my recipe notes.  This recipe can easily be halved.  Just use 3 T. flour and half of everything else.  As good as this recipe was, our family decided we still like our favorite Cool Whip Cream Frosting the best.  But this one is definitely up there! :)  Give it a try!

Cooked Frosting

5 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar (not powdered sugar)

Pour milk into small saucepan.  Whisk flour into the milk and heat, stirring constantly, until thick.  Remove from heat and let it cool completely.  (Very important!)  When cool stir in vanilla.

While the other mixture is cooling...cream butter and sugar together in mixer until light and fluffy.  Use your whisk attachment on your stand mixer.  Add the cooled milk/flour mixture (make sure it isn't warm at all!) and beat on med-high until it all combines and resembles whipped cream, about 7-8 minutes.  It seems like forever but in that amount of time it turns from a lumpy mixture to a fluffy, light frosting.  Spread onto cooled cake.  Store at room temperature in a sealed container.

Empanadas- Rissoles à la viande

Here is a recipe that I do since I'm a teen (from Unicep recipe book), and I do like it a lot... My husband and kids too. It's a little rich so you can do a salad with it... Perfect for a dinner...It's from Chili. Hope my english is ok to be understood!!....

Empanadas – Rissoles à la viande

Temps de repos : 2h

Ingrédients (pour 6 personnes)
Pour la pâte :
500 g de farine
½ c.c de levure
1 c.s lait tiède
Une pincée de sel
200 g de beurre mou en morceaux

Pour la farce :
250 g de viande hachée
2 oignons hachés
1 gousse d’ail hachée
1 piment sec émietté
2 œufs durs hachés
8 olives vertes dénoyautées
50 g de raisins secs
Paprika, marjolaine

Mélangez la farine et la levure dans un bol et creuser un puits.
Versez-y le lait, les œufs et le sel. Mélangez bien.
Ajoutez le beurre ramolli. Travaillez le tout jusqu’à l’obtention d’une pâte bien lisse.
Laissez reposer pendant 2 heures.

Pour la farce, mélangez viande, oignons, ail et piment.
Faites chauffer de l’huile de friture dans une poêle et mettez-y la farce à cuire.
Laissez refroidir et ajoutez le mélange œufs hachés, olives, raisins secs, paprika et marjolaine.

Etalez la pâte au rouleau comme pour une tarte.
Posez un bol (10 cm de diamètre) et découpez des ronds serrés les uns contre les autres.
Couvrez la moitié des ronds avec la farce. Badigeonnez les bords d’un peu d’eau.
Pliez chaque rond en deux en appuyant sur les bords, pour fermer.
Faites dorer les rissoles des 2 côtés dans l’huile et servez-les immédiatement.

****************************************************************************

Rest time : 2 hours

Ingredients (6 persons)
For the pastry :
3 cups of flour
½ tsp of yeast
1 tbsp of lukewarm milk
A pinch of salt
¾ cup of soft butter

For the stuffing:
9 ounces of minced meat
2 minces onions
1 garlic clove
1 minced dry pimento
2 minced hard boiled eggs
8 pited green olives
2 ounces of raisins
Paprika, marjoram.

Mix the flour and the yeast in a bowl, and hollow a hole. Pour out the milk, the eggs and the salt. Mix well.
Add the soft butter. Mix everything until you have a smooth pastry.
Let rest for 2 hours.

For the stuffing, mix the meat, onions, garlic and pimento.
Warm up a frying pan and put it in the stuffing for cooking.
Let it cool and add the mixing minced eggs, olives, raisins, paprika and marjoram.

Spread the pastry like a pie.
Put a bowl (4 inches diam.) and cut rounds.
Cover the half of the rounds with the stuffing. Distemper the borders with a little bit of water.
Fold up each round in two pressing the sides to close.
Glaze the rissoles each sides in oil, and serve immediately.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette and Grilled Fish Tacos

I have never eaten Fish Tacos.  I know.  Crazy!  I love fish and I love tacos and I see this combo all the time but it never really sounded very good to me.  But I saw this recipe on Our Best Bites and for some reason it sounded really good so I decided to go for it.  The fish is marinated in a Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette before grilling.  (Not to be confused with the Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing.)  I served them with delicious Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing on top (also from Our Best Bites) and my Homemade Salsa.  They were so good!  Every one of my kids loved them, too.  The cabbage slaw was a great addition to them!  This vinaigrette has great flavor and can also be served on a salad, not just as a marinade.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2-3 juicy limes)
1/4 c. white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
4-5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 c. canola oil
1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro, stems removed

In the jar of your blender, combine lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and sugar. Blend until ingredients are completely combined. With the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Add cilantro and blend until the cilantro has broken down but still maintains some of its texture. Serve with greens, on any type of Mexican salad, or use as a marinade.

Grilled Fish Tacos

Mild white meat fish-cod, talapia, red snapper, mahimahi, etc.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Corn tortillas

Shredded cabbage (or cole slaw mix)

Pico de Gallo or Homemade Salsa

Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Use a mild white meat fish like cod, tilapia, red snapper, mahimahi, etc.  Marinate in Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette for about 20 minutes (reserve some marinade to add to cooked fish later).  Lightly brush the grill with oil and cook fish for about 8-12 minutes over medium heat (depending on the thickness of the fish) or until very flaky.  (I just used my electric counter-top grill.)  Flake cooked fish and season with leftover marinade if desired (make sure you use the reserved marinade and not the marinade that the raw fish was in!)   Serve the flaked fish in corn tortillas. You'll need to slightly cook the corn tortillas so they don't overwhelm the flavor of the fish; you can brush them with olive oil and bake them in an oven set to 425 for about 5-10 minutes or cook them in a skillet with some olive oil until they start to brown but are still flexible.  Serve with cabbage (cole slaw mix), Pico de Gallo or homemade salsa, the amazing Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing and/or guacamole.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

I found this Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing over on Our Best Bites.  I had to make some.  It was super good.  They say it tastes like a Costa Vida/Cafe Rio style dressing.  I've only eaten at Cafe Rio a couple times but can't really tell you if this is what the dressing tastes like.  I know I really liked it and I know I really like this one...so it must be a match!  I stored my leftovers in a quart jar to use on salads later in the week.  Very tasty!  The green salsa does add quite a bit of heat though!  There is a note about the salsa at the end of the recipe.  Put it on any salad, slather it on a burger, serve it with tacos, or dip your chicken fingers in it.  You could probably drink it from the jar if you wanted to.  It's that good!

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing


1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (regular or buttermilk, and ignore directions on the packet)
1C mayo
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk depending on which packet you buy)
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

 Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender.   Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice.  Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa.  Blend 'er up.  Sample it and add hot sauce to taste.  Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

*A note about green salsa:
There are several brands of green salsa available in most supermarkets and they have various degrees of heat.  One of the most commonly seen brands is Herdez. Herdez brand is a lot spicier than any of the others I've tried.  Even their medium green salsa is way too spicy for my liking.  I like to buy La Costena because their  medium is actually really mild.  That way I get all of the flavor of the tomatillos but I control the level of heat with the hot sauce.  If you're not used to buying green salsa, make sure to sample it first before you put it in the dressing so you know what you're getting into!

Grain Cooking Chart

I am always having to look up cooking times for grains I buy in bulk.  I figured I would just post it here as an easy reference (and maybe print one out, too!)  The measurements are for liquids.  So for every ONE cup of each grain you add the corresponding amount of liquid.  Example:  1 cup of amaranth added to 2 1/2 cups water or 1 cup steel cut oats added to 3 cups water.

Grain Cooking Chart

Grain                               Liquid/Cup of Grain         Cooking Time


Amaranth                                    2 1/2                            25
Barley, pearled                              3                                45
Buckwheat                                    2                                15
Couscous                                    1 1/2                            15
Millet                                          2 1/2                             20
Oats, Steel cut                               3                             30-40
Polenta                                          3                                10
Quinoa                                          2                                20
Rice, Brown Basmati                     2                             35-40
Rice, White Basmati                    1 1/2                            20
Rice, Brown long-grain                  2                                45
Rice, Brown short-grain                 2                                45
Rice, Wild                                     3                                60
Spelt Berries                               3 1/2                            90
Wheat, Bulgur                               2                                15
Wheat, Cracked                           2                                 25

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I'll give a brief detail of some of these grains in case there are any of you who aren't quite familiar with what each grain can be used for.

Amaranth:  I always keep this in my pantry.  It cooks quickly and can be used as a base wherever you might use rice or quinoa.  It does have a very sticky consistency...reminds me of thick cream of wheat...so be aware of that.  It is higher in protein and nutrients than most grains.  Gluten-free!

Barley:  Great in soups and stews.  I also like to grind it in my wheat grinder to make flour.  Great to add in pancakes, etc.

Buckwheat:  Very hearty with a nutty flavor.  Can be used as a breakfast cereal.  You can buy it in several grinds, from fine to coarse.

Couscous:  Made from ground semolina.  Great under veggie dishes such as ratatouille or any place that you would use rice.

Millet:  Very nutritious, gluten-free.  Used in casseroles, stews, and cereals, or on its own as a side dish.  Can be added to any "bean" meal to help cut down on "gas" if you have a problem with that.

Steel Cut Oats:  Oat groats that have been cut into smaller pieces.  Makes the most delicious cereal if you have the patience!  Can be soaked overnight to reduce the cooking time in the morning if you can plan ahead.

Polenta:  A type of cornmeal often used in Italian cooking.  Can also cook it as a hot cereal and eat with brown sugar, etc. like you would eat cream-of-wheat.  (We grew up on cornmeal mush rotated into our breakfasts every single week.)  Just use regular cornmeal or grind your own cornmeal in your wheat grinder using regular popcorn kernels!

Quinoa:  One of my favorites that I always have on hand.  I use this in place of rice, added to soups, or as a filler in anything from pot pies to enchiladas!  High in protein and many nutrients; has a nutty flavor.  Always make sure you rinse before cooking.  It has a bitter coating on the outside.

Rice:  We all know what rice is and what we use it for.  One major difference in the brown rice varieties, however, is that the brown long-grain stays fluffy and separated after cooking.  Good for pilafs and stir-fries.  The brown, short-grain rice stays soft and the grains stick together after cooking.  Good for side dishes.

Spelt Berries:  An ancient form of wheat.  The boiled berries are great for use in salads.

Bulgur Wheat:  Wheat that has been steamed and then toasted and then cracked into smaller pieces.  Good in pilafs, soups, and Middle Eastern dishes.

Cracked Wheat:  Wheat that is cracked into smaller pieces but not steamed and toasted like Bulgur.  Often used as a cereal but can also be used as a side dish or in pilafs.

Pumpkin Spice Carmelitas

I just made these:

with this:

Recipe found HERE.  Just substitute the Smucker's Pumpkin Spice topping for the caramel topping.  Everything else is exactly the same...even the chocolate chips.