Angela's MOST amazing Cinnamon Rolls

In our neighborhood, if Angela drops by with a pan of her tasty cinnamon rolls, you have scored!  I finally got bold enough and asked for the recipe!  HAPPY Day!  I'll never go back to my own again.  These are fabulous, and, no, there are no eggs in them.

Dissolve 3 Tbsp. of yeast into 3/4 cups of warm water, with about 3 Tbsp. of sugar.  Let it sit until it begins to bubble. 

While the yeast is "working", scald 3 cups of milk in the microwave.  Add 3/4 cup of butter and let it melt into the milk to cool it to lukewarm.  Add it to the yeast mix.  (Never add too hot of a liquid into the yeast mixture or it kills the yeast.)  

Add 1 Tbsp. of salt and 1 cup of sugar.  Then, mix in 10 & 1/2 cups of flour. 

Mix well until the bread pulls away from the side of the bowl.  (It was a slightly sticky dough.)  Let rise one hour.  Roll out onto counter, cover with melted butter (I used 1/2 cup melted for the two jelly roll size pans) and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  

Add nuts or raisins, if desired.  Roll up and then slice.  (I use dental floss to slice!  Coolest trick ever!)  Bake at 400' for about 12-14 minutes.  (12 minutes worked for me.)  Remove from oven, cool a bit and cover with frosting.

Maple Frosting (not Angela's exact recipe, but I found one that sounded like Dan described because he wasn't sure about her specific recipe.)

3 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
4 tbsp. half and half
1 tsp. maple flavoring

Blend together until creamy.  Spread on warm, not hot, cinnamon rolls.  Enjoy!

Sweet Breakfast Strata

Sweet Strata

(sorry, we ate it before the camera came out!)

1 loaf french bread, torn into bite-size pieces

6 eggs
3 cups milk
2 cups sugar
6 T. butter
1 cup flour
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup raisins (optional)

1 pound sausage

Preheat oven to 350'. Cook sausage in frypan.  Drain.  Set aside.   While sausage is cooking, mix all of the ingredients except the bread and raisins in a blender.  Tear the bread into pieces and place in a well-greased 9x13 pan.  Toss in the raisins and sausage.  Pour the egg/milk mixture over the bread mixture, covering entirely.  Toss the bread mix in the egg mixture.  Cover with foil and bake at 350' for 45 -55 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes.  Serve warm with maple syrup.  (You can make this the night before and just toss in the oven when ready to bake but it's not neccessary.)

Apple Pancakes

I was looking on Pinterest for something fun for a Sunday breakfast and discovered the "idea" of this recipe. Rather than use that recipe, I made a few adjustments to my own whole wheat pancake recipe, adding a little extra sugar and pie spices.  For the first three griddles full, I sliced the apples and dunked each slice in the batter, then dropped it onto the griddle.  But, that got old pretty quick.  So, I chopped up the rest of the apples into dime size pieces, stirred them into the batter and made the pancakes like normal.  We actually preferred them this way.  Anyway you try it, these are literally my favorite pancakes ever!  (not my photo...I'll take a pic of my own next time.  We were too busy eating them to take pictures this time.)

2 1/2 cups flour (whole wheat gives it a natural nutty flavor !)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
2 1/2 cups milk
6 apples

Mix the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs and liquids.   Mix well.  Stir in the apples.  Cook on buttery griddle.   I served them with Maple Syrup but next time, I'll try an apple cider syrup.  Grace informed me that they didn't even need syrup.  She ate her last few plain.  ENJOY!

Perfect Rice Pudding

I also found this recipe this weekend and made some rice pudding for the kids. They'd never tried "the real thing" before and they loved it.  I've always liked it but not loved it. This recipe, I loved!  It's a perfect way to use your leftover rice.  I found the recipe, where else, but it on Pinterest through The Hungry Housewife. Although, here's my version because I made a few adjustments to suit our tastes.

 4 cups leftover rice

    6 cups milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 cup craisins

1/2 cup coconut

1 tsp. cinnamon

All add ingredients to the cooked rice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently and at the end, constantly.  I stirred this for, literally 45 minutes.  It took that long to bring it to a boil because the milk and rice were ice cold.  I boiled it for about ten minutes stirring constantly. Once most of the milk is absorbed, remove from heat. Serve hot or cold!   We served it hot vanilla with ice cream.  (Corbridge Rule:  Breakfast is always better with ice cream.)  The kids were in heaven and then ate the leftovers for dessert later that night.

French Toast Strata

1- cups french bread (I used one loaf)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup cream  (I used whipping cream, but the original recipe called for half&half)
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pound Jimmy Dean Sausage

powdered sugar
more maple syrup

Eight hours before:  Brown the sausage and crumble.  Drain and set aside.  Cut one loaf of french bread into 1" cubes.  Spread evenly into a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Pour the sausage over the bread.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until smooth.  Add eggs, one at at time, whipping in between each egg.  Add milk and cream, syrup, salt and vanilla.  Mix well.  Pour egg/milk mixture over the bread and sausage. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight. 

In the morning, remove from the refrigerator, and let it sit on the counter, at room temperature, for thirty minutes.  Bake in preheated oven, at 350 for 40 minutes or until golden brown and a knife comes out clean.  Pour maple syrup over the baked strata and then sprinkle powdered sugar over top of that.  (I didn't pour the syrup on the baked strata.  I served it with syrup on the side, so that everyone could have the sweetness that they preferred.  Being married to GranolaMan, this works.)  SO SO NUMMY!  ENJOY!

Carrot/zucchini/banana Bread

My sister-in-law, Anne, served this tasty Banana bread at our family reunion. Everyone asked for the recipe. I had to share!

Sift together:

2 c flour
2 c sugar
2 t cinnamon
2 t soda1 t salt

Cream:
1 c oil (these days I'm subbing applesauce)
4 eggs
1 c grated carrots
1 c mashed bananas
1 c chopped zucchini

Mix together and fill 3 bread pans ¾ full. Bake 45 min @ 350. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Syrup

Carol shared this recipe with me recently and we're in love! I find myself thinking about pancakes for dinner, just to have this syrup! She shared "Buttermilk Syrup", a family favorite years ago. This stores much better and is so so nummy!

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1 cup half and half

Whisk together the cinnamon and sugar. Add corn syrup and water. Bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the half and half. Can be stored in the fridge for two months. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

One of my favorite stories about being married to my GranolaMan husband took place the week that I gave birth to our second child, Kelly Lynn, in 1980. I was recuperating in the family room on the sofa so that I could keep a close eye on our then 19 month old son, Dale. Doug was in the kitchen, just off the family room and willingly made breakfast. I made these whole wheat pancakes often, as they were one of our favorites, so I had the recipe permanently recorded in my head. From the sofa, I called the recipe to Doug, one ingredient at a time, as he mixed the batter in the kitchen. He brought me a plate of pancakes and they were delish! I praised his good work in the kitchen, "These are wonderful, Babe!" Doug, proudly confessed, "Thanks, Babe. I'll tell you my secret. I cut the sugar in half." I smiled in response, knowing my husband well, and said, "That's okay, I knew you would so I doubled it when I told you the recipe." ;)

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup oil

Mix the dry ingredients. Mix the eggs, milk and oil, then blend in well. According to Doug, cook on a buttered griddle until five holes/bubbles pop before turning. This is a thick pancake batter. If you like them thinner, add a little more milk. MMMM! Enjoy!

Baked French Toast Strata

This recipe was a huge hit with the entire family. Lately, I've seen several recipes that were similar and actually had a version of baked french toast last weekend. This one was pretty quick and easy and yet tastes like something that you've worked for hours on. It's a must try! And best of all, it can be made the night before and just baked when it's time to eat. It'd be a great Christmas morning meal!

1 loaf French bread

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash salt

Tear french bread (I used half Sara Lee multigrain bread and half french) into pieces that are about the size of a large marshmallow. Cover the bottom of a well buttered 9 x 13" pan. Combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a blender and mix until blended well. Pour mixture over the bread slices. Cover the bread totally and use a spatula to make sure that it's saturated completely with the milk-egg mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. (I made it and only waited an hour or so before baking. It was just fine.)

Topping:
1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes at 350 until puffy and golden. Serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!

Julie's Wonder Dough!

While at a girls night out at the ranch last winter, Julie and Erin made Navajo Tacos that were to die for! Not only were they delish, they made them in no time flat! When they went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, I figured it would be 2 hours before we ate. We were eating in 30 minutes. They'd made Indian Frybread or Scones from scratch. I call them donuts without sugar. VERY TASTY. This is one of the most versatile things you'll ever cook and so so simple! A must try recipe!

1 Tbsp. dry yeast

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 cup warm water

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

Mix the yeast and sugar in warm water until bubbly and fluffy. (Let it sit for five minutes.) Add salt, oil and flour. Stir 20 times with a fork. Let rise about fifteen minutes.

For pizza: Bake 20-25 minutes at 450 degrees. Use all the dough to make one large pizza or split in half for a thinner crust. *For crispy crust, roll out in corn meal. (Yummy.)

Breadsticks

Roll out dough, cut and twist into strips. Coat with garlic butter and/or cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until golden.

Fry bread/scones

Stretch or roll dough out flat and fry in hot oil (375 degrees) until golden.

For Navajo Tacos: Serve all the toppings along with the fry bread and let your guest add what they'd like. Choose from:

Browned ground beef with onions, peppers and taco seasoning mix

Refried beans, pinto beans, chili

shredded cheddar cheese

lettuce

onions

olives

tomatoes

any of your favorite taco toppings

top with salsa and ranch dressing!

OR

Serve the scones for breakfast with a choice of toppings:

Jams and Jellies

Honey Butter

Powdered sugar

cinnamon sugar

Sugar

A powdered sugar glaze

fresh fruit and whipping cream

ENJOY!!!

BRUNCH CASSEROLE

Here's my own variation on a recipe I found on the internet and then served at my Back to School Brunch two weeks ago. Very simple and easy meal and it made a mean dinner too!

4-6 cups frozen shredded hash browns
2 c. shredded Cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1 lb. mild sausage
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
6 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 c. milk
1 tsp. dry mustard

Brown and drain sausage. Set aside. Thaw potatoes and place 1/2 in bottom of 9x13 inch casserole (or 3 broken slices of bread may be substituted.) Add 1/2 of cheese and 1/2 of sausage and the mushrooms and repeat. Beat eggs, salt, pepper, chopped onions, mustard and milk. Pour liquid over top of potatoes and cheese. Cover and leave in refrigerator overnight. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let set for about ten minutes before serving. enjoy!

Lovable but Lethal Pecan Rolls!

These are unbelievably wonderful! And I believe, if you share them with someone you love, the fat grams and calories all disappear when you invert them in the pan! If you really want to kill someone with love, spread a layer of cream cheese frosting over top just before serving! Doug would describe these as "lethal". But... oh, sooooooooooooo good!

1 cup crushed pecans

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

Using a 12 muffin pan, put 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of butter and cover the bottom of each muffin cup with pecans.

2 cups bisquick

2/3 cup smashed bananas

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix well and knead. Roll into a rectangle on a floury counter top. Spread 2 more tablespoons of melted butter across the roll. Spread 1/2 cup of caramel topping evenly over that. (You can use the kind you dip apples in or ice cream topping or about 16 caramels, melted with 2-3 tablespoons of evaporated milk .) Sprinkle with more brown sugar (about another 1/4 cup). Roll it tightly and slice into 12 pieces. Place each piece into the muffin tins on top of the butter/nut mixture. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake! Remove from the oven and flip the pan upside down onto a cookie sheet or foil covered counter. Leave upside down for about 2 minutes so that the butter mixture settles into the roll. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

German Pancakes

Here’s Quayd's most requested breakfast. This is another fun possibility for Christmas morning. It takes about five minute of prep time and while it's baking you can set the table and gather the toppings. Very simple!

12 eggs
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups milk
2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 425°. Place 1/3 cup of butter in 9x13 pan and put pan in oven until butter is melted and sizzling. While it’s melting, mix the ingredients in the blender until frothy, adding flour slowly and last. Remove pan from oven and make sure that the entire pan is covered in butter. Pour the batter into the hot sizzling buttery pan. Place in oven and back for 15 - 20 minutes, until the batter is rising, golden and bubbly. It will poof up and be very pretty! Serve immediately with your choice of toppings. We use drained pineapple tidbits, fresh strawberries in sugar, sliced bananas, cantelope, cool whip, syrup, powdered sugar, jams or jellies. Whatever you’ve got will be a hit! QUICK, EASY AND WONDERFUL! Enjoy!

Cinnamon Toast Strata

Here's a tasty breakfast that whips up in a matter of minutes the night before and can bake while you are busy doing other things in the morning. A new twist on the old strata recipe. Try it, you'll love it!

1 loaf french bread, cut into 1" cubes

8 eggs

4 tsp.sugar

3/4 tsp. Salt

3 cup milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

Place bread in greased 9x13 pan. Mix remaining ingredients well. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight (8 hours). Remove from fridge half hour before baking. Dot with butter. Melt 2 tbsp. Butter and pour over then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar. Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350 or until knife comes out clean. Serve five minutes after removing from oven. Really good with maple syrup, like a pancake! or Serve with fresh fruit and whipped cream. Enjoy!

Pull-apart Bread

This is an old tried and true recipe but it's worth rementioning especially at this time of the year because families are home for breakfast and we're looking for quick and simple things to prepare ahead of time. Some call it monkey bread or bubble bread. No matter what you call it, this is one tasty breakfast bread and has definitely been a hit at many a family gathering over the past twenty years.

24 oz. Rhodes frozen dinner roll dough (or use your own roll recipe)


1 cup packed brown sugar


1 3.4 oz package instant butterscotch pudding mix


1/4 cup sugar


2 t. cinnamon


1/2 cup melted butter


1/2 cup chopped pecans



The night or several hours before, grease and flour a 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Mix brown sugar, pudding mix, white sugar and cinnamon together. Place frozen dinner rolls in pan a layer at a time. Sprinkle brown sugar and pudding mixture over first layer of roll. Spread half the nuts and melted butter over first layer. Repeat with the next layer. Place on counter over night. Do not cover. The next morning, bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes.
Let stand a few minutes and turn pan over onto serving platter. Serve warm! Enjoy!

Glazed Cranberry Wreathe

I but tried it the last few years and we loved it! The photo above is not of this recipe but it is very similar. I think I'll make one today! Enjoy!

1 can jellied cranberries

1 8 ounce package cream cheese

1 cup finely chopped cashews

2 pkgs refrigerated crescent rolls

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp. Butter

3 - 4 Tbsp. Milk

Separate the crescent rolls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet to form a circle with the wide part of the crescent in the center, the narrow part pointing away from the center. Press slightly overlapped edges together. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and cranberries until well blended. Add cashews. Spread the mixture over the crescent roll circle until evenly distributed. Pull each narrow end of the crescent up and over the cranberry mixture, pressing down at the center of the "Wreathe". Bake at 350° for 25 - 30 minutes or until well browned. Mix powered sugar, butter and milk to make glaze. Drizzle over the top of the wreathe after cooling to room temp. Serve with vanilla ice-cream or alone.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are, without a doubt, the favored muffins in our home! The batch is huge, which makes for a great treat to take to any gathering at any time of the day. My favorite thank you for these tasty baked treats came from my friend, April, who said, "My boys just looked at them like 'Pumpkin? No thanks! Then they promptly woofed down everyone of them!" They are especially good on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning... prepared a day in advance, just pop them in the microwave and they are perfect for a snack/breakfast before the big meal! We are planning on delivering them to a friends and neighbors this year while the turkey is cooking! Enjoy!

2 cups oil

2 cups brown sugar

4 cups sugar

Beat together and add:

8 beaten eggs

1 1/2 TBLS baking soda, dissolved in 1/3 cup warm water

4 cups pumpkin (I use one large can, even though it's about 1/3 cup short)

7 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

2 tsps salt

1 1/2 tsps ginger

2 tsps cloves

2 tsps nutmeg

4 tsps cinnamon

Mix well, then add:

1 cup warm water

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

1cup milk chocolate chips

Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake @ 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes as soon as they start to brown. Do not over cook.

Natalie's amazing fruity oatmeal bars!

Natalie brought these to the ranch for our girls' night out and they were to die for!! I can't wait to try them with other dried fruits. We talked about dried blueberries, apricots, craisins, cherries or dates. Natalie's had cherry. I'll be making them with blueberries very soon!

Crust:

3 cups flour
3 cups of oats (Natalie used quick-oats)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 cups brown sugar

Add: 2 cups melted butter (and you wonder why they are so good!)

Sift the dry ingredients and then mix in the butter. Press half of the dough into a cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes at 350°.

Prepare the filling:
Put 2 - 3 cups of dried fruit in a saucepan with 1 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil then add 1/2 cup white sugar mixed with 2 tbsp. cornstarch. Pour the filling over the hot crust. Crumble the remaining cookie crust over the top. Make for thirty more minutes.

OH MY!! ENJOY!!

English Crumpets

Another great breakfast treat or a great party favor, this recipe sounds a bit tedious, but it's really no more difficult than making homemade pancakes. It just takes an extra half hour because the batter has to rise for a bit. Definitely worth the wait!

Dissolve:

1 T. yeast

1 T. sugar

3/4 cup lukewarm water

Mix together:

1 cup milk

3 lightly beaten eggs

3/4 cups melted butter

Mix together in large container:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 t. salt

Make a well in the flour. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover. Let double in size. Drop by teaspoons onto hot buttery griddle. Cook 3 minutes, turn and cook 3 more minutes. (they don't take much longer to cook than a pancake.)

Serve with preserves or this tasty spread:

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup strawberry banana yogourt

1/2 cup strawberry jam

Serve them like hot pancakes or they can be served at a party at room temperature with the spread. Very tasty! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Waffles and Creamy Syrup

More breakfast! This is our most favorite fall breakfast. For some reason, once the holidays are over, this recipe fades into oblivion until this time next year. What's wrong with me!? It's delicious and it's not like I can't buy a can of pumpkin anytime of the year?!

Pumpkin Waffles

3 cup flour

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

2 1/2 cup milk

1 cup canned pumpkin

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk, pumpkin and oil. Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix gently until smooth. Do not over mix. Cook in a well-greased waffle iron. Serve with warm applesauce. (add 1 tsp. cinnamon sugar to the applesauce!) OR serve with creamy syrup!

Creamy or Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 cup real butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk OR 1 tsp. lemon juice and enough milk added to equal 1/2 cup

Bring to a hard boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in:

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

Make sure that your saucepan is very large. The syrup will more than double in size and boil over into a huge mess when you add the soda and vanilla. Serve warm over pumpkin waffles, any waffles, pancakes or french toast! Enjoy!!!

*** Photo from http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2147/1830550153_8646dad3e7.jpg?v=0.