Jo and Nick's Gingerbread Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

This recipe comes from our dear friends and neighbors Jolene and Nick Cash. I could list pages of times they have had an impact on our family. They're ordinary people, just like you and me. They've taught almost all of my children in church.  Jo was a Young Women leader for Brookie during her teenage years. Nick served for years as the Primary Chorister, teaching our boys the love of music each Sunday from the time they were in nursery until they moved on from Primary when they turned 12. Jake was in diapers when Nick and Jo started teaching him. There's an inside joke about this subject, not appropriate for a food blog...
Nick and Jolene have the biggest hearts. Nick cries at the drop of a hat. We all love him for it.  The two of them have spent their lives loving, feeding and serving everyone around them.  If I remember correctly, they were high school sweethearts. Through all of their years together they've figured out the recipe for a happy life. They love the Lord, and it shows in the way they share their time and talents with others. They know its better to give, than receive.  Good lesson to remember this time of year :)


Oh-the recipe. You know how I love breakfast! Love pancakes. Love syrup. Especially home made syrup. I made these on Saturday for breakfast. Could not stop eating them. This recipe is perfect for Christmas breakfast. If you love gingerbread and cinnamon, this one's for you.



Gingerbread Pancakes
Nick and Jo Cash
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2 1/2 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder, (yes 5 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
4 tablespoons sugar (optional)
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups milk
2 eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup raisins

Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl. Mix all wet ingredients in a large bowl. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in raisins.
Cook on hot, greased skillet. Cook until bubbles appear, flip pancakes. Once. Do not pat down. Do not flip more than once. Pancakes are done when center of pancake springs back after poking the pancake with a spatula.
Makes about 18-24 3-4 inch pancakes.

Cinnamon Syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy cream

Stir together everything except the cream. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over moderate heat and boil for 2 minutes. Syrup will thicken as it cools. Remove from heat and stir in cream.
Makes 1 1/3 cups, store in fridge.

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Cutler's Cinnamon Rolls

Last week at The Fork we had Curt Cutler from Cutler's Cookies teach us how to make cinnamon rolls. He and his lovely assistant Tatyana mixed, rolled, shaped and baked their way into our hearts. I think I've sampled enough cinnamon rolls in my lifetime to say this was one of the best I have ever eaten. Certainly the best to come out of a kitchen in Bountiful. Too bad they don't sell them at Cutler's Cookie shop.  Curt says they only have about a 12 hour shelf life. Twelve hours? That long? :)  If he sold these at the store, I think their name would have to be changed to Cutler's Cinnamon Rolls (and Cookies).










Cutler's Cinnamon Rolls
Cutler's Cookies
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Dough:
1/4 cup warm water
1 (.25 oz) package yeast

1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup warm milk
1 egg

1/2 (3.4 oz) package vanilla instant pudding, dry
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour

Filling:
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar ( or 1/2 cup brown, 1/2 cup white)
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans (this says optional, but I think it should say required)

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Proof the yeast  by placing the yeast in the warm water, set aside.
Place the melted butter, milk, and egg into bowl of mixer fitted with paddle or dough hook attachment. Mix well.  After the yeast has started to bubble, add to the milk mixture. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Add all of the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth and dough no longer sticks to sides of bowl. You may need to add a little more flour.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for about 45 minutes to one hour.
Meanwhile, mix together butter, sugars and cinnamon for filling, set aside.
When dough is ready, roll out onto floured surface into 24x10 inch rectangle.
Spread filling ingredients on top of rolled out dough, sprinkle with nuts.
Roll up dough beginning with long side. Take care to tuck the dough tightly and evenly. Go along the dough a little at a time, tucking the dough as you roll. When finished rolling, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Place on a greased pan, let rise until doubled, or about 45 minutes in a warm place.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until light golden color.
Let cool for about 5-10 minutes.
While rolls are cooling, Beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together in a bowl.
Mix until smooth. Spread frosting onto rolls while still warm.

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Blueberry-Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

My October Secret Recipe Club assignment is: CRUMB, a blog written and photographed by Isabelle, a "thirty something from Canada".  Isabelle loves food. She loves cooking, eating, writing about and taking photos of food. She also loves collecting vintage cookbooks, talks about food almost non stop (her words) and even dreams about food. I think it's safe to say, Isabelle is a foodie. Too bad we don't live closer to each other, I have a feeling she would be a great lunch date!
Confession time. I totally forgot about this assignment until I checked my email Sunday night at 6 pm. Yikes! It was a crazy month. My dilema (back in September, when I received my assignment) about which of Isabelle's wonderful recipes I would try out, was changed to- what could I make in 5 minutes or less, and photograph before it was dark! Naturally, I turned to breakfast items. Isabelle volunteers at a local museum on Sundays and treats herself to these pancakes before heading off to her volunteer job for the day. I'm sure the oatmeal in the pancakes not only make the cakes more healthy, but more filling too. Thanks Isabelle! Great recipe.


Blueberry-Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from Crumb
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1 1/2 cups quick cook oats
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries

In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and oats, let sit for about 5-10 minutes until oatmeal is softened.
After the oats are soft, add the eggs and oil, and whisk together.
In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix wet and dry ingredients together just until ingredients are incorporated, batter should be lumpy.
Fold in lemon zest and blueberries.
Heat griddle or pan to 350 degrees. Grease pan with butter or oil spray. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter onto heated and greased griddle. Let cook until bubbles start to appear, then flip pancakes ONE TIME. Let the pancake cook until pancake springs back when lightly poked in the middle. Do not pat the pancake down. Do not flip pancake more than once.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with  pure maple syrup and additional fresh or frozen berries on the side.

**Remember to enter A Bountiful Kitchen's amazing KitchenAid Stand Mixer giveaway sponsored by South Fork Hardware! Go here to enter!**

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Amy's Bread Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Muffins

Zucchini. Have you had any show up on your front porch lately?  A couple of weeks ago, I walked into my kitchen and found three zucchini on my counter. No idea how they got there. Pretty sure I didn't grow them in my batting cage... When my kids came home, I asked them about the mystery z.
Jake said Chris, my back-door neighbor handed them over the fence (thanks Chris). Probably when he was out back, hitting plums from the deck into the batting cage.

They sat on the counter for a few days, and eventually ended up in muffins. I chose this recipe because I had two ENORMOUS bags of carrots in my fridge. In a moment of stupidity, I bought this warehouse-great-deal bag of carrots.  Enough carrots to feed a small country. I think it weighs twenty pounds. I was making a carrot cake at the time and thought it was a good idea. So a month later, I still have 19 pounds of carrots in my fridge. Well, after this recipe maybe 18.  Let me know if you need any carrots.
Oh, the muffins. Wonderful. I love Amy's Bread.  If you love carrot cake, you'll love these. They are dense, not too much sugar and are made with veggie oil instead of butter. I added raisins to the batter, since I love raisins in my muffins. Great texture. A meal in a muffin.














Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Muffins
adapted slightly from Amy's Bread, NYC
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3 cups flour
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups peeled grated carrots
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled
2 cups granny smith apples, grated
3/4 cup walnut pieces, or 3/4 cup golden raisins or both

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins.
In large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, coconut, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder, whisk together.
In another medium size bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add grated carrots, zucchini and apples. Stir together, until all fruit and vegetables are mixed well.
pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients all at once. Fold until all incorporated. Fold in nuts and raisins   if using. The batter will be very thick.
Scoop the batter into greased muffin pan using a large cookie scoop. Or use a large spoon or measuring cup. Fill the muffin tins almost to the top to insure full, rounded muffin tops.
Bake at 400 for ten minutes, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Check the muffins by inserting a toothpick in center, if it comes out clean, muffin is done.
Leave the muffin in the tin for about ten minutes, then loosen edges with a butter knife and remove from pan to cool.

Tips:
-I used unpeeled, cored Macintosh apples.
-I did not add the nuts, but added golden raisins. You may add one or both, or neither, if you wish.
-The original recipe calls for 12 large muffins. I thought the muffins would be too big as a large muffin, especially since these are dense, filling muffins. I baked the muffins in regular size muffin tins. The recipe yielded about 22 regular size muffins.
-Since I did not make the muffins into 12 large muffins, I cut the baking time. The original recipe calls for 400 degrees- ten minutes, rotate the pan, lower temperature to 350, then bake for an additional 22-25 minutes. Maybe this was a misprint? That would total at least 32 minutes.  Way too long. My muffins were done baking in 16 minutes flat.
-Super moist. Great texture. These freeze well.

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Mango Blueberry Coffee Cake

I love this time of year. No rushrush to get school work done before games or other activities. Love to water the flowers outside in my bare feet before anyone gets up. Love to watch baseball games with a big iced drink. Love that I can swing into a farmers market, or the regular old grocery and find almost any fruit my heart desires.
I had some fresh mangoes and blueberries in my kitchen last week, and thought what better way to use them, than put them in a coffee cake. I used an Emeril recipe, that I lightened up a bit by subbing yogurt for sour cream, and added a few spices. Simple, fresh, delish. Loved the result.

Fresh Mango and Blueberry Coffee Cake
A Bountiful Kitchen
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Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ginger, depending on your taste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup berries, rinsed and patted dry (I used 1 mango and enough blueberries to equal 1 1/2 cups)

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides of a 10-inch Spring form pan. Preheat oven to 375 and set the rack in the middle of the oven.
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs.  Add yogurt and blend well. Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix just until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the berries and mangoes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Prepare the streusel topping by mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes, and run a knife around the sides of the Spring form before detaching the side form.

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Eggs Benedict 101

Spring. It's coming. Easter brunch. Just around the corner.
Grant's favorite dish for breakfast/brunch? Eggs Benedict. A few weeks ago, I decided to give it a try. How complicated could this be? Eggs, ham, a few English muffins and some sauce. 
Oh, helloooo,  sauce. 
Hollandaise. Turns out, this is the crux of the dish. 
I like this word. 
crux  (krks)

n.  crux  The basic, central, or critical point or feature

Here's what I learned while making Eggs Benedict, or Si's EB 101:

1. Rich, rich, rich. The two essential ingredients for making a great smooth Hollandaise are egg yolks and BUTTER. Eight ounces. Yes.  One.  Full . Cup.

2. The butter must be cold.

3. You don't need an instant read thermometer.  The key is whisk, whisk, whisk.  I whisked my arm off and my sauce was perfecto. 

4. There are about 1001 ways to make EB. And 1001 varieties such as California Benedict, Veggie lovers Benedict, Seafood Benedict, Curry Benedict,  etc. most available on the www.

5. Not a dish to make when you are in a hurry. Definitely a Saturday or Sunday venture. 

6. I didn't keep my sauce in a thermos as suggested, just turned the heat off, and warmed the sauce up at a low heat again when plating the last few servings (about 30 minutes from the first serving to the last... yes I'm a short order cook).

7. You may make either the eggs or the sauce first, and keep one heated, while preparing the rest of the dish.  I preferred making the sauce first. 

8.  If you want to watch simple tutorials about EB  for poached eggs, Hollandaise and overall assembly, look up any of these on YouTube.  Amazing how many folks are willing to share their knowledge. 

9. Hardly anyone makes their own Hollandaise anymore. Most restaurants and home cooks use mixes and/or the blender method.  

10. This is worth the time. And calories. About once a year. Promise.

Eggs Benedict

A Bountiful Kitchen

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8 slices Canadian Bacon, warmed 

8 eggs, poached

4 English muffins, sliced in half, toasted and lightly buttered, if desired ( I thought 1 cup of butter in the sauce was enough)

Hollandaise Sauce

Assembly:

Prepare Hollandaise Sauce and set aside to keep warm.  

Place a two slices of toasted English muffin on a plate.  Place Canadian Bacon on top of English muffin halves. Spoon a poached egg on top of the meat slice. Top with about 2 tablespoons of Hollandaise Sauce.  Serve immediately, or if serving family style, lay all bread slices on platter and follow directions for assembly. Cover pan with foil and keep in oven on low until ready to serve, not more than an hour before serving. 

Alton Brown's Hollandaise Sauce

Food Network

3 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne, divided

3 to 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, strained, divided

8 oz cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces

1/4 teaspoon sugar

Whisk together the egg yolks, water, salt and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a 2 quart pan (preferably a saucier) for  1 minute.

Put the saucier over low heat and whisk vigorously, moving the pan on and off the heat every 10 to 15 seconds, bringing the mixture to 140 to 145 degrees F, on an instant read thermometer, approximately 3 minutes.  Add 1 piece of butter at a time, every 30 seconds, while continually whisking and moving the pan on and off the heat. Maintain temperature around 120 to 130 degrees F throughout the remainder of the cooking process.  Once half of the butter, or 8 pieces have been added, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.  Add the remaining 8 pieces of butter, 1 at a time, every 30 seconds while continuing to move the pan on and off the heat maintaining 120 to 130 degrees F. After the last piece of butter has been added, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne.  Add the sugar and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes.  

Taste and add more lemon juice, as desired.  Move immediately to a short, wide mouthed thermos to hold sauce for up to 2 hours.  Reheat over low heat for 45 seconds. 

Perfect Poached Eggs

Cook's Illustrated

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons white vinegar

8 large eggs, each cracked into a small cup

ground black pepper

Fill an 8-10 inch skillet nearly to rim with water, add 1 teaspoon salt and the vinegar and bring mixture to boil over high heat. (I filled to within about an inch of the top of pan)

Working in two batches, cooking 4 eggs at a time, lower the lip of each cup into water at once, tip eggs into boiling water, cover and remove from heat.  Poach until yolks are medium firm, exactly four minutes, or for extra large or jumbo eggs, about 4 1/2 minutes. For looser egg yolks, poach 3 minutes. 

With slotted spoon, carefully lift and drain each egg over skillet. Set on warmed plate or platter and cover  with foil until ready to use. Keep in a warm place or in oven set to 275 degrees.

Tips:

-I did not remove the pan from the heat off and on as Alton suggests. I simply placed the butter in the pan one tablespoon at a time, when the butter melted, I would add another pat of butter, and so on. 

-Did not use a thermometer. Just whisked until all of the butter was melted and incorporated as the recipe suggests. 

-If you are preparing the eggs first, cook the eggs for 3 instead of four minutes, properly poached eggs will still have a bit of a runny yolk.  If you are keeping the eggs warm for later use, the egg will continue to cook a bit in the oven. 

-The sauce in this recipe will be enough for 8 English muffin halves. 

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Mexican Breakfast Tortillas

Last Wednesday, we dropped our son, Stephen off at the Missionary Training Center, in Provo, Utah. Stephen will be serving a two year mission for our church-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka the Mormon church.

It was a day filled with mixed emotions. For almost 5 months, since he opened his mission call to Puebla, Mexico, we have planned and prepared. Almost every day, there was some type of mission prep.  Appointments with docs, removing tonsils, filling teeth, securing a passport, getting vaccinations, renewing drivers license, purchasing clothing, supplies, etc.  Bought everything from a raincoat to a sewing kit. Stuffed two-2 pant suits, 6 pairs of dress pants, 14 white shirts, 7 ties, 2 belts, 12 pair of socks, workout clothing, pj's underwear, bedding, towels, 3 pairs of shoes, medication, first aid supplies, toiletries, books, scriptures (along with a lot of other garb) into three suit cases for two years.

Is this foreign to you? If you want to read more about the whowhatwhenwherewhyandhow, click here.  The Mormon church has over 53,000 missionaries serving full time missions in 162 Nations around the world, and now, my son is one of them.

Last week went like this:
Me asking myself, where did 19 years go?
Lots of  "last _____(lunch, dinner, movies, fill in the blank)".
Lots of excitement.
Lots of prayers.
Lots of friends and family stopping by to say goodbye.
Lots of tears.
Lots of hugs.
And of course, lots of food.

The Sunday before Stephen left, we gathered at our home for a farewell brunch. Stephen wanted food with a Mexican flair, so we served up Mexican Breakfast Enchiladas   I busied myself with food prep and cleaning for days, so I wouldn't have to think about saying goodbye. If I kept busy enough, the lump in my throat went away, for a while. The actual goodbye?  Goodness. That's another post.
The food was great.  The company even better.





How do you celebrate your child's life and their decision to serve the Lord for two years? How do you ever begin to thank all those who have loved your kid, practically from the time they were born, through their teenage years? How do you thank them for the many lessons they have taught and hours they have given up with their own kids, to teach yours? How do you thank them for the profound influence they have had on your family? In our home, two words: 
Good Food.
Lots of it.

Mexican Breakfast
If you love breakfast casseroles and Mexican food, you'll love this. You can make it the night before and bake in the morning. It's hearty enough to eat for dinner too. 

Adapted from: A Pinch of Salt Lake

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1  cup low fat sour cream

1  10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup
1  4 oz can chopped green chilies
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
12 oz spicy ground sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
2 tablespoons butter
7 large eggs
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley, fresh
1/4 cup chopped green onions, green stems only
8-10  12 inch flour tortillas, buttered lightly
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese, divided
8-10 oz salsa, red or green

Whisk sour cream, soup, green chilies, cumin and coriander together in a mixing bowl.  Saute sausage, drain off grease.  Melt butter in Teflon skillet over medium heat, add eggs and cottage cheese and blend.  Cook until eggs are at soft scramble stage. Remove from heat and add green onions and fresh parsley. Add 2 tablespoons of the sour cream mixture and all of the sausage to the eggs. Lightly fold in 1 cup of the cheddar and one cup of the Jack cheese into the egg mixture.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 pan.
Place about 1 cup of the sour cream mixture into the baking dish. Spread to cover bottom of pan.  Divide filling into the eight or ten tortillas. Roll up the individual tortillas. Place filled tortillas into prepared dish. Top with remaining sauce mixture, 8 oz. of salsa and finally 2 cups remaining grated cheese.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until cheeses are melted and eggs are heated and bubbly.

Tips:
-This dish has many variations.  Sheri always makes it without the sausage, and adds fresh spinach instead.
-The original recipe calls for a 7 oz can of green chili salsa, added to the sour cream mixture. We like the way it looks when the salsa is reserved to top the tortillas.
-You may use Chorizo instead of Jimmy Dean sausage.

-Even though this is rolled as individual tortillas, after baking, it is easily cut into squares and served as more of a casserole. You may cut a 9x13 dish into 16-20 servings .

-For make ahead, prepare the recipe up to the point of placing the filled tortillas in the dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate remaining sauce as well.  In the morning, remove the tortillas and top the dish with sauce and remaining salsa and cheese. Loosely cover and bake for 30-45 minutes at 325 . Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated thoroughly. 

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Basic Fruit Muffins with Streusel Topping

Questions I get almost weekly from young'ins (as Jake, age 14, likes to call them)  are: "Can you give me some recipes I can make when I move out? Easy recipes for college students, missionaries or newly married peeps? Low cost, quick and easy recipes?  I'm posting a new category, starting today called
"New Beginnings"-college and mish meals, for all of the above.  Hello. Yes, there is life beyond Del Taco or your mom's kitchen.
This is a great basic muffin recipe. If you don't have blueberries, try canned. Drain the fruit well and chop it up. No fruit at all? (did you spend all of your money on ice cream?)  Leave it out. No butter for the topping? Leave the topping off, and sprinkle with a little sugar. Most of the ingredients should be in your pantry. If not, and you're a student, load up next time you are home. Your mom won't mind.
I like this recipe, because the batter doesn't require butter.
Don't tell me you don't cook. I'm not listening. lalalalalalallalalalalalala.
Still not listening.
Get busy. Start cooking. Let me know how it goes.

Basic Fruit Muffins with Streusel Topping
A Bountiful Kitchen
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1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries or other fruit (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries)

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Pour oil, beaten egg and milk into center of dry ingredients.  Mix with large spoon or fork just until wet and dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in fruit.  Spoon batter into muffin cups. Fill to top of cup.
Make topping- cut butter into all dry topping ingredients. Spoon topping on top of unbaked batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes on middle rack of oven until tops are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

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Mel's Kitchen Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Blustery. Perfect word to describe our weather.

Listened to the wind howl.

All.

Night.

Long.

Hello, hot cocoa and warm cinnamon roll morning.

I found these rolls on Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Wonderful blog. Melanie describes herself as:

"...very, very average when it comes to cooking."

Hello. Mel. Have you looked at your blog? Average is not a word I would use to describe your cooking skills. She started her blog as many of us do- to keep recipes, pictures, etc. in one place. Mel writes, "Several years later, this blog still houses my favorite tried-and-true recipes as well as the new, dishes and desserts I’ve made and loved.

I was browsing around her site the other day, and found lots of recipes that were tempting. I was curious when I saw her "best" category, and found Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting.

There's a reason this recipe is on her "best" page.

Oh, P.S. Remember waaay back, when you wanted to print out a recipe from ABK and had to cut and paste the text into Word, then print? Being the computer genius I am, I couldn't figure out the process. I asked Mel for help. She responded immediately and tutored me step-by-step. Now it's as easy as hitting "print" to get your fave recipe on paper. Thanks Melanie!

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
Mel's Kitchen Cafe
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Rolls:
½ cup warm water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ ounce package instant vanilla pudding
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
6+ cups flour

Filling:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not over flour the dough! It should be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Then roll out on floured board to 34 X 21 inches in size. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden (don’t over bake). Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting (combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency). Makes about 24 very large rolls.

*Freezable Recipe: After shaping the rolls and placing them on the baking sheet, cover with lightly greased saran wrap and a layer of tin foil. Store in the freezer. The night before you want to serve them take out the rolls and put them in the refrigerator. Let thaw in the refrigerator. Take out of fridge the next morning and let rise until doubled. Bake according to the recipe.

If you have less time, you can take the rolls out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature on the counter – about 4 hours, then let rise until doubled.

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Cheddar, Bacon and Chive Scones

A few days ago, one of my favorite peeps in the world, Lauren B. asked me to post about Christmas breakfast. Usually for Christmas breakfast we have this or something similar. I like to make breakfast casseroles, because the work is done the day before, which leaves Christmas morning free to enjoy the fam. My favorite Christmas breakfast menu consists of: an egg dish, something sweet( muffins, cinnamon rolls etc), fruit, CANDY, hot cocoa and/or juice. Just noticed that "something sweet" was everything, with the exception of one item.

I haven't had time to make this yet, so I can't post a pic, but this or this is on the brunch menu for Saturday the 25th. I'm making modifications, and will get back with a review.

You can make these scones for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They mix up in less than 10 minutes. Similar to a buttermilk biscuit. Tender and light. Not like a traditional (heavy) baked scone. I think they would be yummy with some soft scrambled eggs and fruit for an easy Christmas breakfast.

PS - side note-Just finished watching our UTES get beat by Boise State. I'm worn out.

I know I have a hard life. Seriously. It was the weirdest, most exhausting, frustrating game.

Oh well.

Merry Christmas.

loves,

Si

Cheddar, Bacon and Chive Scones

A Bountiful Kitchen

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2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/2 cup bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup grated cheddar or other cheese

1/4 cup chopped chives or green onions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or blend into flour mixture with fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour buttermilk into measuring cup and add egg, then beat together. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients in bowl. Mix just until incorporated. Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk or buttermilk if necessary to make dough that is easy to handle but not sticky. Fold in bacon, cheese and chives.

Pat the dough into a 10 inch circle on a floured surface. Cut into half, then quarters. Cut each quarter into 2- 3 pieces, to make 8-12 total slices (depending on the size of scone you desire). Brush with butter if desired.

Place on prepared baking sheet and bake in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until light golden brown.

Remove from oven and serve immediately or follow directions below for make ahead.

Tips:

-For make ahead-Bake these the day before serving for 20 minutes and place in a Ziploc bag after they are cooled. When ready to eat, place on cookie sheet in oven for about 5 minutes at 325 degrees.

-These will not raise a lot or "grow" in size after baking (as compared to a yeast scone).

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Winner and The Barefoot Contessa's Banana Crunch Muffins

Winner of the $55 CSN online stores gift certificate and the Williams Sonoma cookbook: The Art of Preserving, is Cheryl who said-

"That salad looks oh so delicioso! Best thing I ate this summer -

Tomatoes out of the garden. Does not get better than that."

Email me at ABountifulkitchen@gmail.com and I'll send out your book and gift certificate! You have one week to respond.

Are you a muffin lover? How about bananas and coconut? Yes? This muffin is for you. Loved the crunch of the granola. Loved the little bits of banana and coconut flakes.

A whopping 278 reviews, and five stars on the Food Network site.

I agree. Two thumbs up.

Banana Crunch Muffins

Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)

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3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't over mix.

Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Tips:

- I used a standard size muffin tin, and the recipe yielded about 2 dozen muffins.

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