What can you do in an hour?

I know what I can do! Make homemade Cinnamon Rolls! One of my friends had pinned this recipe on Pinterest yesterday, and when I saw it I knew that I had to try them since we were going to be having Chili for supper last night! :) She was a little skeptical of Cinnamon Rolls that only took an hour to make. Well, I'm here to tell you that they turned out great and seriously, they only did take an hour to make!

1-HOUR CINNAMON ROLLS

INGREDIENTS:

Mix and let sit for 15 minutes:

3 1/2 c. warm water

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. oil

6 T. yeast (4 1/2 Saf-Instant)

Then add:

1 T. salt

3 eggs

10 1/2 c. flour

Mix together for 10 minutes, then sit for 10 minutes. Oil cupboard, dump out dough. Divide in half. Roll one half out into rectangle. Spread with ¼ c. melted butter and then with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll up tight, but not too tight. Divide into 12 rolls and place on greased cookie sheet. Repeat with other half of dough. Let rise. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 400.

Cinnamon-Sugar

1c. sugar

1 T. cinnamon

 

Frosting

1 cube butter

2 dashes salt

2 t. vanilla

6 c. powdered sugar

milk

***NOTE*** I halved this recipe so that it would only make 12 rolls. Otherwise it will make 24.

The bro really enjoyed them, and I put some away in the freezer for another day! 

A Yummy New Treat!

I was looking for new recipes to try the other day and I came across the website: "Just a Pinch Recipe Club" and found some great ones that I'm really looking forward to trying in the next few weeks! I made of them today, and it has turned out pretty well. The house sure smells cinammony! :)

STRAWBERRY BREAD

INGREDIENTS:
3 C. Flour
2 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
2 (10 oz.) Packages Frozen Sliced Strawberries
1 C. Vegetable Oil
4 Egg; beaten well

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and Flour 2 (8x4) loaf pans (I used my stoneware mini-loaf pan). Combine all Dry Ingredients in a large bowl; mix well. In a separate bowl combine all liquid ingredients and mix well. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour all liquid ingredients into it. Mix by hand. Pour batter into pans and bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan; then turn onto cooling rack. Cool completely.

***NOTE*** After I had already put these in the oven I had an afterthought that it would be GREAT to put in some Mini-Chocolate Chips as well. It would make it like a Chocolate Covered Straweberry! Too bad I thought of it too late...BUT there's always next time! :)

A Delicious Bread!

I made this bread tonight as part of the Goody Plates for Christmas! My house smelled delicious! This recipe makes 2 large (9x5) loaves, but I used a Pampered Chef Mini-Loaf Stoneware pan...it has 4 wells and made 4 perfect little loaves! The perfect size for gift giving. I needed to double up the recipe...but I made it in 2 separate batches. They turned out wonderfully, and I even have 1 left over to share with my family next weekend when we do our family Christmas on Friday! YAY! :)

PUMPKIN-CRANBERRY BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

3 C Flour

1 Tbs + 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Salt

3 C. Sugar

1 (15 oz) Can Solid Pack Pumpkin

4 Eggs

1 C. Oil

1/2 C. Orange Juice (or Cranberry Juice or Water WHATEVER YOU PREFER) (I used OJ)

2 C. Fresh, Frozen, or Dried Sweetened Cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour two 9x5" loaf pans. (Or you can use parchment paper instead of grease) OR you can use Mini-Loaf Pans

Combine Flour, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Baking Soda &  Salt in large bowl.

Combine Sugar, Pumpkin, Eggs, Oil & Juice in large mixer bowl, beat until just blended.

Add Pumpkin mixture to Flour mixture; stir until just moistened. Fold in Cranberries, then spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes (depending on your oven) or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely. (If using Stoneware Pans you can remove immediately, or the loaves will continue baking)

 

I cannot wait to share these yummy goodies!

Peachy Keen

Peaches, peaches and more peaches! Did I mention peaches? Wow, have I been a busy girl the last 2 weeks, trying to get ready for winter. So far my freezer is stocked with some good stuff...Sweet Corn, Blueberries, Rhubarb, Strawberries and now Peaches!!! I have a side-by-side Regrigerator/Freezer and thus don't have a lot of room in my freezer. I much prefer the standard, but oh well. I manage to make room. Especially since during the winter months I tend to make soups quite often and freeze some of those as well. I currently have 3 shelves in my freezer devoted to the bags and bags of fresh produce that I'm freezing! It was a lot of work, but I know that when I'm enjoying sweet corn, and assorted baked items with the fruit that I will be thankful that I took the time to do all the work!

 I decided to try a new recipe for Peach Bread that I found. It sounds so yummy, and I will tell you that the little bit of batter that I licked off the beater was DELICIOUS!!! I can't wait to see how this latest adventure turns out. I then decided that I would also make something for supper tonight that would incorporate peaches, and I will post that recipe later as well. Peaches remind me of Georgia, and when I think of Georgia I think of Atlanta and my wonderful friends that live there. So, N. if you're reading this I thought of you and your family today! And I would LOVE to bring some recipes with me the next time I'm there to cook with you (thanks for the note on Facebook!).

So without further a-do, here's the recipe for this yummy smelling (and I'm sure tasting) bread!

PEACH BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

3 Eggs
2 C. Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Oil
2 C. Diced Peaches (you could used canned as well)
3 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
3 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 C. Walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat the Eggs lightly. Blend in the Sugar, Oil and Vanilla. Add the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt and Cinnamon; mix just to combine (batter will be very thick). Stir in the Peaches and Walnuts (Batter loosens up). Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

I can't wait to see how this bread turns out! I love to make breads and freeze them as well. So, this just may be another one that I will do this with!!!

So Happy For Rhubarb!

I am so thrilled that Rhubarb season runs from April to September here in Michigan! I LOVE Rhubarb and really haven't done much with it in past years. I will be changing that this season around!!!!

Today with the help of a young man from our church we cleaned up our yard and cut out the thick, hard roots from around the tree in the middle of the yard. This the area that I plant flowers and last year they didn't do so well, so I killed everything in the flower bed and will start over this year! I went to a local Nursery and was able to get some great deals on a few flowers...I ended up with a flat of VERY colorful Pansies and a few other flowers. I will post pictures of them all soon! I decided to let my new flowers just sit on the porch for the time being, that way if we do get frost yet I am able to take them into the house. I'm itching to plant them though.

So, after all the yard work and errands were ran today, I spent the rest of the day baking and cooking! I made some very yummy bread today and I want to share the recipe with you! I was even nice and brought the second loaf over to my brother and sister-in-laws house for them to enjoy! ;-)

RHUBARB BREAD

INGREDIENTS:
1 C. Milk
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
2/3 C. Oil
1 Egg
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 C. Chopped Rhubarb
1/2 C. Chopped Walnuts
TOPPING:
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Butter; melted
***NOTE*** I also added about 1 1/2 tsp. of Cinnamon to the batter to give it a little more taste.

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease 2 9x5 loaf pans. In a small bowl stir together Milk, Lemon Juice, and Vanilla; let stand for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar, Oil and Egg. Combine the Flour, Salt and Baking Soda, stir into Sugar mixture alternately with the Milk Mixture just until combined. Fold in the Rhubarb and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 C. Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, and Butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the unbaked loaves. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes OR until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

This smelled absolutely AMAZING while it was baking! The loaves are very moist and the bread has a great texture. I hope that you'll give it a try!

A Tasty Bread Recipe

I was searching the internet for some bread recipes, as the though of homemade bread has alway appealed to me. The only problem is that I don't own a bread machine. I found this recipe from the Pioneer Woman and I decided to give it a try. As I type this the bread is cooling as it just came out of the oven, and my house smells DIVINE! I will warn you that this a very time intensive recipe, not labor intensive though.

CINNAMON BREAD

Here's what you will need:

INGREDIENTS:
1 C. Milk
6 Tbsp. Butter
2-½ tsp. Active Dry Yeast
2 whole Eggs
⅓ C. Sugar
3-½ C. All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. Salt
⅓ C. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.

Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.

Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it’s warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you’re going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.

Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam

down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

Here it is after all the rising that it needed:

And here it is right out of the oven and pan:

This smells so fantastic! I also sprinkled a little cinnamon and sugar on top before baking!

Please don't mind the few imperfections on my bread, I had a litte bit of a struggle getting it out of the pan. I recommend greasing it EXTRA well! The top is also very crispy, but from what I can tell about the inside due to it having pulled apart a bit, the inside is very moist, and that's all I'm concerned about!

I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow morning before church!!! YUMMMMM

Also, don't forget to read the post about my Birthday for a GiveAway! 

~~Another Yummy Day In My Kitchen!~~

I started off the day today with an even more stuffed up nose than I had yesterday. I realized that the yummy goodness I was going to be making today, I wouldn't be able to smell any of it! :-( In some ways this is a good thing, since one of my recipes required onions and I LOATHE onions, so this would make that task all the more easy. But for the second recipe of the day, I really would've like to have smelled it while it was baking. Guess it gives me something to look forward to the next time I make it, huh?!?

CHILI CON CARNE

Items that are essential to this recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 Lb. Ground Beef
4 Medium onions, diced
1 1/2 C. Green Pepper; diced
4 1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 Clove Garlic
1 Qt. Diced Tomatoes
6 oz. Tomato Paste
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar; packed
2 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Paprika
3 Cans Red Kidney Beans

Cook meat, onion, garlic, and green pepper-about 15 minutes, until meat is browned. Add chili powder. Cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and their liquid, tomato paste, brown sugar, oregano and paprika. (I also put water in the can of paste twice and swish around and pour in the pot). Heat to boiling. Reduce to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in the beans and their liquid. Reheat and serve.

Here it is:

I also decided that I wanted to make some sort of bread today. I came across this recipe from my Aunt B. It just sounded so good!
Items you will need:

FRIENDSHIP BREAD

INGREDIENTS:
1 C. Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 Large Eggs
1 1/4 C. Milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 (3.4 oz.) Box Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
Additional Cinnamon and Sugar mixed together.

Combine the salt, cinnamon, flour, baking soda, pudding and baking powder. Set aside. Mix the oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs and milk together. Mix in the dry ingredients. Grease 2 large loaf pans and sprinkle with a mixure of cinnamon and sugar. Pour the batter into the pants and sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake for 1 hour at 325.

Just before baking:

My brother J. told me that this bread smelled AWESOME while it was baking! I'm so sad that I was not able to smell it, but I'm sure that it will taste great and more than make up for not being able to smell it.

Now just waiting for this to cool:

I can't wait to have a slice of this! I hope that you will make this and enjoy it as well!