Just like Cinnabon

I’ve tried several cinnamon roll recipes, and this one seems better than most. I found this one online (see link below) and modified it with some of my own tips. I made them again yesterday and my children sold them at a bake sale - they sold like hotcakes!

Making cinnamon rolls does take some time, but if you like to bake, you probably have most of the ingredients on hand, so they are a fairly low-cost treat, and what a yummy treat they are!

Rolls:
1¼ oz. pkg. yeast
1 C. warm milk
½ C. granulated sugar
1/3 C. melted butter
1 t. salt
2 eggs
4 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. of half and half, to brush on rolls (see Angel’s tips below)

Filling:
1 C. packed brown sugar
2½ Tbsp. cinnamon
1/3 C. butter
½-1  C. walnuts, optional
½-1 C. raisins, optional

Icing:
7 Tbsp. butter, softened
1½ C. confectioners sugar
¼ C. (2 oz.) cream cheese
½ tsp. real vanilla extract (or almond extract, which I prefer and use)
1/8 tsp. salt, optional

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
1. Dissolve yeast in milk.
2. Mix in sugar, butter, salt, eggs, flour. Mix well.
3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough about 3-5 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover; let rise 1 hour.
4. Roll dough into a 21" x 16" wide rectangle. Spread melted butter over dough with a large spoon then sprinkle with filling (see filling directions below).
5. Roll the long side up. Pinch the ends.
6. Cut with knife, or use string or dental floss to cut 1-inch wide rolls by sliding the string under the log roll, lift up on either side of the roll, cross the string and pull apart, making sixteen. For fewer, bigger rolls, cut them wider.
7. Grease (butter) your preferred baking pan (I like mine to be all squished up next to the other)- I generally use an 11"x 15" pan. Then place rolls in pan and into oven. Let the rolls rise for 30 minutes.
8. Bake until the rolls are slightly browned and not doughy, 20-25 minutes. This will vary according to your oven. Just don't overbake.
9. Cool for 1-2 minutes then top with icing.


Filling:
While dough is rising, prepare the filling and the icing.
1. Soften butter, so that it is spreadable.
2.  After dough has been rolled out to a rectangle, spread the softened butter all over.
3.  Sprinkle brown sugar over entire buttered rectangle.
4.  Now sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over that.


Icing:
Cream with an electric mixer, or with a spoon. Spread on hot rolls.


Angel’s tips: I like brushing half and half over the rolls just before they go into the oven and just as they come out of the oven.


 To prevent overbrowning, I cover the cinnamon rolls with tin foil during the last 5-10 minutes of baking.

Also, I have another recipe that calls for chilling the cut rolls on the pan for 2-24 hours before baking, then bringing them to room temperature for 30 minutes. I haven’t tried this method yet, but I’m sure it gives the dough a nice quality. I know that chilling pizza dough gives it a nice chewy texture, so I’m sure this works similarly with cinnamon rolls.

Link to online Cinnabon recipe

Nacho Pie

I just had a serving of this delicious Nacho Pie today at a potluck held during an American Red Cross training meeting in John Day. Everyone there was raving about it.

Cliff Marsh of Dayville shared the recipe which he said he received from his sister.

The dish has all the flavors of nachos, but it has a nice surprise with a crust made from crescent rolls, such as the Pillsbury brand, which you find in your grocery store's refrigerated section.

I picked up the supplies to make it, and I'm looking forward to trying it out. Thanks Cliff for sharing some great comfort food!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. hamburger
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce, or one can tomato sauce and 1 C. diced tomato
2 tubes crescent rolls
2 C. sour cream
1 C. onion, chopped
1 C. green bell pepper, chopped
4 Tbsp. taco seasoning
3 C. tortilla chips, crushed, divided
2 C. shredded cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (if using) and seasoning. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, separate crescent dough in eight triangles. Place in two greased 9-inch pie pans. With points toward the center, press onto the bottom and up the sides to form a crust; seal perforations. Bake approximately 7-10 minutes until slightly brown and puffed.

Sprinkle 2 C. chips over crusts (one cup on each pie). Top with meat mixture. Spread sour cream over meat mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining cup of chips. Return to oven for five minutes to melt the cheese. Remove from oven and let stand for five minutes before eating. Serve with salsa.

Makes 12 large slices.

Tip from Cliff: May use diced tomatoes with chilies or add a small can of Ortega medium chilies for flavor.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

There have been at least three activities in the last year that I've attended where this dessert was served. I kept thinking, I need to get that recipe! So when Kim Joslin of Mt. Vernon served this up the other day I asked her for the recipe.

This dessert combines sweet and salty flavors with crunchy and soft textures - a tasty experience!

I noticed there are several recipes for this circulating on the Internet, and there's a nice video with a similar recipe at the Kraft foods website, see the link below.

It's easy to make, you just need to allow for time to cool the crust and let the strawberry gelatin firm up.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Ingredients
Crust:
1/2 (15 ounce) package pretzels, crushed
1 C. butter, melted
1/4 C. white sugar
White layer:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup white sugar
Red layer:
2 C. boiling water
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries, chopped
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin (or two small boxes)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Use a food processor or plastic bag and rolling pin to crush the pretzels.
3. In a medium bowl, combine crushed pretzels, melted margarine, and 1/4 C. sugar. Press mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan using the bottom of a cup.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
5. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 1 C. sugar thoroughly, then fold in the whipped topping. Pour over pretzel crust and refrigerate.
6. In a large bowl, pour boiling water over strawberry-flavored gelatin. Stir in frozen strawberries, refrigerate. When it’s cool and begins to thicken, but is not completely thickened, pour over cream-cheese filling. Refrigerate until firm, serve.

Serves 20.

Tip: To lower the fat content, lower butter to 6 Tbsp., use 1/3 fat cream cheese and use lite whipped cream. 

Kraft, Strawberry Pretzel Squares