They were awesome, and definitely cured the craving… for a few days anyway We made cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar and chocolate. Next time I d like to try glazed.

Cake Donuts (From: Betty Crocker)

• Vegetable Oil
• 3 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 3t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• 2 T. shortening
• 1 T. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c. milk

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375.

Beat 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the remaining ingridents in a large mixer bowl on low speed, scaping bowl constantly 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally 2 minutes. Stir in reamining flour.

Turn dough onto well cloth covered board; roll around lightly to coat flour. Roll gently 3/8 inch thick cut with donut cutter.

Slide donuts into hot oil. Turn donuts as they rise. Fry until golden browl 1 to 1 1/2 minutes each side. Drain off excess oil and top with topping if desired.

Orange Cinnamon Rolls (From: Pioneer Woman)

Dough

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 package Active dry yeast
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a pan. “scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Ture off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active drive Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stire mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

Add 1/2 cup flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and the salt. Stir mixture together. Refrigerate overnight.

Filling

• 8 T. orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup broke sugar
• 1/2 t. salt

Roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Spread the marmalade over the top. Pour on butter, then sprinkle on the brown sugar evenly. Sprinkle with salt.

Beginning at the long side farthest from you, roll the dough in a long roll towards you, being careful to keep it tucked tightly. Pinch the edge to seal it.

Cut rolls into 1 to 1 1/2 inch rolls and place them into butter pans. Allow to rise for at least 20 minutes.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Meanwhile make the glaze.

Orange Glaze

• 2 lbs. powdered sugar
• 6 T. melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• dash of salt

Mix all ingredients, thinning with more milk or orange juice to make mixture thin enough to be pourable.

When rolls are done cooking remove them from the oven and immediately drizzle orange glaze over the top.

Serve warm or at room temp.

I have to say we were kind of disappointed in them, they seemed to lack flavor as well as filling. I think I might try them again but add more in to them to bulk them up. Maybe some veggies and some rice or something.

Overall they tasted good, just didn’t leave me super full. They also reminded us a lot of these.

Chicken Squares (From: Vintage Victuals)

• 2 tubes of 6 Pillsbury crescent rolls
• 1 10-ounce can of chicken breast meat, drained
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Apply cooking spray to a large baking sheet and set aside.

Roll out the crescent dough and divide into rectangles, pinching the seam of the 2 triangles together to form oblong rectangles of dough.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper, creaming the ingredients together.

Spoon a dollop of the chicken mixture onto one side of each crescent rectangle. Fold one end of the rectangle over the filling to form a square. Pinch the dough together around the edges to seal, and place the squares on prepared sheet.

Bake the chicken squares for 20-25 minutes or until the crescent rolls are golden brown. Serve immediatly with rice and peas. Yield 6-8 chicken squares.

When hanging out with my mom a few weeks ago she told me about a new white sauce recipe she had discovered. When she told me it was mayo, Parmesan, and ranch dressing I didn’t really believe her. But then again she has never lead me astray. So I went for it.

It made an AWESOME sauce, you could not taste the mayo, it was more a parmesany ranchy taste. Very yummy, and went perfect on the white pizza. I also tried a new dough recipe… actually Adam tried a dough recipe. It was a good dough, but didn’t brown up quiet like other doughs I have made.

Whole Grain Pizza Crust (From: Branny Boils Over)

• 1.5 cups warm water, divided
• 1 T active dry yeast
• 1 t honey
• 2 cups flour (I used all white as I had no wheat)
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• ¾ t coarse salt
• 2 t olive oil

Stir yeast into ½ cup warm water.  Add honey and let stand 5 minutes.  Place flours in food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Add salt and pulse.  Pour in yeast mixture, remaining water, and oil.  Process 1 minute until dough comes together.  Let rest 20 minutes before rolling out.

White Pizza Sauce (From: My Mom)

• 1 cup ranch dressing
• 1 cup mayo
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix all together and top on crust.

I baked my crust for about 5-10 minutes then topped with white sauce, shredded chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, and cheese. Of Course onions on Adam’s half.

He asked me to make some fresh bread I told him to look through my bread cookbook that I haven’t got to use and when he found something I would make it. He chose this yummy recipe

This recipe was AMAZING! Although mine was almost a little too done it was the perfect crunchy on the outside nice and soft on the inside! It had wonderful flavor!!! Next time I think I would add a little garlic powder to the bread itself to give it a little more garlic flavor.

Also a product rave. I love using these little cubes of crushed garlic from Trader Joes. You store them in the freezer when you need garlic just pop out the tables you want. This is SOOO simple as it tastes fresh but you don’t have to fight with garlic. Buy some next time you are at TJ’s!

Garlic Bubble Bread (From: The Big Book of Bread by Anne Sheasby)

• 1 basic white bread dough prepared
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian Herb Seasoning

Grease a bundt pan.

Combiner melted butter, egg, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and dried herbs in a small bowl, mixing well. Dip the dough balls into the butter mixture, coating them liberally all over, then arrange the dough balls in a single layer in the pan. Drizzle over any remaining butter mixture. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the ring for 30-40 minutes or until risen and golden brown. Turn onto a wire rack. Pull the rolls apart to serve, warm or cold.

Basic White Bread (From:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 2/3 cups white flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, diced
• 1 teaspoon fast-action dried yeast

Pour the water into the bread machine pan. Sprinkle over the flour, covering the water completely. Add the salt, sugar, and butter placing them in separate corners of the bread pan. make a small indent in the center of the flour and add the yeast.

Set the bread maker to the dough setting. One dough has risen punch down. Divide into 12 equal sized balls.

So I took the bait and decided to try a new recipe for cinnamon rolls I knew I had to really wow her because she LOVES the cinnabons I made last time.

I had a lot of trouble with my dough rising they never rose like they were suppose too, the only time they rose was when they baked. This resulted in a very dense dough not the light and fluffy dough I was hoping for.

Everyone enjoyed these except me, I really didn’t think they were fantastic.

Alton Brown’s Overnight Cinnamon Rolls (From: Beantown Baker, Originally From: Food Network)

• 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 large whole egg, room temperature
• 2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
• 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
• 6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
• 20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
• 1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:

• 8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing:

• 2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, approximately 1/4 cup
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use. ***this part of the recipe confused me, i used the melted butter called for in the above list although it wasn’t mentioned here.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.

While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

My little brothers reaction to the yummy breakfast.

I will be making these muffins again and again! YUMMY!

Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Muffins (Found On: Delish, Orginally Adapted From: Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter)

• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• vanilla sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  Set aside.  Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, cream the butter and vanilla together for about a minute.  Gradually add in the sugar, then mix for an additional minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Blend in the eggs, one at a time, then mix for another minute.  With the mixer on low, stir in about half the flour mixture, then the sour cream, then the remaining flour mixture. Gently stir in the chocolate chunks.

Portion the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 23 – 25 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and the tops are springy to the touch.  Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and place on a rack to cool further.

These were wonderful little muffins, they had the perfect amount of orange in them and the glaze just added that extra yummy element.

Orange Cream Cheese Muffins (Adapted From: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, Orginally Adapted From: Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins and More by Carole Walter)

• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• zest of ½ a small orange
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, broken into 3-4 pieces
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, slightly firm
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk (reserved from Pepita Crunch)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a food processor, process the cream cheese, orange juice and orange zest, in three 10-second intervals.
In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the machine and add the cream cheese mixture, and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the superfine sugar in a steady stream, then blend in the eggs, the reserved yolk, and the vanilla. Reduce the mixer to low speed and add flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing just until blended after each addition.

Scoop muffins into a prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with 1 TBSP of the Pepita Crunch. Be sure to use any sugar that remains in the pan.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown an the tops are springy to the touch. To ensure even baking, toward the end of baking time, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. Remove from the oven and place on rack to cool.

Orange Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 5 TBSP fresh orange juice
• 1 ½ tsp light corn syrup

Combine sugar, orange juice and corn syrup. Whisk until smooth and pour over muffins.

I rolled the biscuits a little to thin, so that’s why some are doubled up, but the flavor was wonderful!

And just because I have to rave… I think this is my best picture yet to date… What do you think? Are my photography skills getting better?

Southern Biscuits (From:Alton Brown)

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that’s life.)

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

But the good news is these turned out great! They were super easy to throw together and rose well. These went wonderful with the ham dinner I made. Next time you are looking for a dinner roll recipe try these.

Sweet Dinner Rolls (From: Amber’s Delectable Delights)

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup butter, softened (for topping rolls)

Place water and milk in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute or until liquids reach (110 degrees F/45 degrees C). Pour liquids into mixer bowl; add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add in yeast and let set for 10-20 minutes to proof (the mixture will be foamy).

Attach the bowl to the mixer and mix on low speed adding the salt, 1/3 cup butter and egg. Once well mixed add in the flour 1/4 cup at a time. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook. With the mixer; knead the dough for 5-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into desired shape. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour. (You can place a bowl of very hot tap water in the bottom of your stove and place the rolls on the rack above it). Gently brush the tops of the rolls with half of the remaining softened butter.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake the rolls for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Upon removing the rolls from the oven brush them with remaining softened butter once again.