Jaw-Dropping Cinnamon Rolls

Making these utterly scrumptious cinnamon rolls was one of my proudest moments thus far in my kitchen adventures.  I had never used yeast before, but this recipe made it seem easy enough.  I was like a giddy little child on Christmas morning as I kept peeking under the kitchen towel to see if the cinnamon rolls were rising properly.  They were!  After spreading the icing (plus extra because I decided they needed more) on the still-warm rolls, my mom and I quickly dug in.  There are no words to convey how amazing these cinnamon rolls were.  Seriously.  They were that delicious.  

Ooooh!

Aaaah!

Everyday Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

For the dough-

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons butter

3-1/4 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 ounce) package instant or 'rapid-rise' yeast

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

For the filling-

1 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened

For the Icing-

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1.  Heat milk and 4 tablespoons butter in a microwave safe bowl on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds.  Stir and set aside.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt.  Once milk mixture is warm (not hot!), add it to the flour mixture along with the egg while the beater/paddle attachment is running.  Beat for about 1 minute or until well combined.  

3.  Switch to the dough hook.  Add remaining flour until dough is soft and sticky and barely leaves the sides of the bowl.  Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes or knead by hand on a floured surface for 5 minutes.  Allow dough to rest on a floured surface for 10 minutes.  

4.  Combine filling ingredients in a small bowl.

5.  Roll dough into a 12" by 14" rectangle.  Spread filling mixture over the dough using the back of a spoon or your fingers.  Roll the dough from the longer side and pinch edges closed.

6.  Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces and place them in a greased 9" by 13" pan.  Cover pan with a clean kitchen towel and let rolls rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

7.  Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.  

8.  Combine icing ingredients and spread over warm rolls.

Source: Our Best Bites

Sesame-Ginger Chicken

I am not a grill failure.  Although my chicken burgers from a few weeks ago didn't work out so well (aka - they fell apart when I tried to flip them), I successfully made this savory sesame-ginger chicken using the grill.  Moral of the story: I just can't flip burgers.

This chicken was delicious and very easy to make.  Simply mix up the marinade, put everything in a bag in the fridge, and grill it a few hours later.  Easy peasy.  

Sesame-Ginger Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce because that's what was in the cupboard, but if you're watching your sodium intake, do not use regular!)

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

1.  Combine the soy sauce, water, dried onion flakes, sesame seeds, ginger and garlic in a small bowl.

2.  Place chicken into a resealable plastic bag.  Pour soy sauce mixture over the chicken.  Seal bag and place in the fridge.

3.  Marinate chicken in the fridge for 4 hours or longer; turning bag occasionally.

4.  Remove chicken from the marinade.  Grill chicken over medium heat for 5 minutes; turn and continue cooking until done.

Source:  The Best of Simply Colorado, Colorado Dietetic Association

Baked Zucchini

Dearest Zucchini,

Where have you been all my life?

Sincerely,

Your New Fan

Baked Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound zucchini, sliced thin at an angle

Salt and pepper

Pinch of Hungarian paprika (I used regular paprika for lack of the Hungarian version in my cupboard.)

1/2 cup panko breadcrumps

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stem, lightly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Brush 1 teaspoon olive oil in the bottom of an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish.  Arrange the zucchini slices in the dish.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.

3.  In a bowl, stir together the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and thyme.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and stir until breadcrumbs are soaked with the yellow tint of the oil.  Sprinkle over zucchini.  

4.  Bake until the topping is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Source:  Sunny Anderson

Blueberry Crisp

After consuming this blueberry crisp, my sister exclaimed that she could go die because her life was complete.  As she put it, "But I just ate the nummiest thing ever!"  I told her to hang in there because I have yet to make creme brulee.  

She wasn't lying though.  This blueberry crisp truly was amazing.  It was so sweet and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  It was also incredibly easy to make, probably taking no more than 15 minutes to get it in the oven.  

Go!  Make it!  Summer's almost over, and you must try this summery dessert before it's pumpkin time.

Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients:

1 pint fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled/old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl, toss together the blueberries and the white sugar.

3.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, and brown sugar.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Press half of mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch by 8-inch pan.  Cover with berries.  Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over berries.

4.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until berries are bubbly and topping is golden brown. 

Source:  Brown Eyed Baker

Chicken Burgers

My grilling skills leave a lot to be desired.  This is what I learned while trying to grill these Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise by the lovely Giada de Laurentiis.  This was my first time using my dad's grill, and it was my first time making burgers.  Some of them fell apart while flipping.  I gave up and asked my dad to flip them.  He claims I just need practice.  I think I just need a little, George-Foreman-style grill that doesn't require me to flip the food.

Regardless of their appearance, these chicken burgers were quite delicious!  The garlic and rosemary mayo was so fresh and fragrant.  Yum!

  

Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Sandwich rolls or burger buns

Directions:

1.  Mix together the mayonnaise, rosemary, and garlic.

2.  Preheat a gas or charcoal grill.  Lightly oil the grilling rack.

3.  In a large bowl, combine the chicken, salt, pepper, and half of the mayonnaise mixture.  Using clean hands, gently mix the ingredients and form into 6 patties.  Grill until cooked through.  

4.  Serve chicken burgers with rolls or buns and garnish with dollops of remaining mayonnaise mixture.

Source:  slightly adapted from Giada at Home by Giada de Laurentiis

Oven Roasted Broccoli

My family is relatively new to eating broccoli.  I can't remember ever eating it when I was little.  Green beans, cucumbers, and corn from my dad's garden are pretty much the only vegetables I remember.  Those and cooked carrots from a can, actually.  Somehow, in the past couple of years, I discovered that I love fresh broccoli.  This was my first attempt at roasting it in the oven, and it was a success.  It was slightly crispy and flavorful, and it was a breeze to make!  It's a wonderfully colorful and healthy side dish.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 pound broccoli, rinsed and trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated cheddar or Parmesan

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Spread the panko bread crumbs into a 13-inch by 9-inch metal cake pan.  Toast in the oven for about 2 minutes.

3.  Cut broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces and place in a mixing bowl.  Add olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and panko bread crumbs to bowl.  Toss to coat.  

4.  Return the broccoli mixture to the pan, place in the oven, and roast for about 8 to 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender.  

5.  Remove from the oven and toss in the cheese.


Source:  Alton Brown

Fantastic Fajitas

My dad is the fajita maker in our family.  He knows just how to cook the onions and peppers so that they are tender and not burnt.  He has a specific seasoning mix that he buys.  He'll even go to a store other than Cub to get it...and that's saying a lot because he LOVES Cub.  I had never attempted to make them on my own because he's so good at making them.

The other day, I had a couple of beautiful little onions and a green pepper from my grandparents' garden, and I had no idea what to do with them.  Fajitas popped into my head!  I wanted to try something different though.  No store-bought seasoning mixes for me!  I found a recipe on Epicurious that looked promising, and boy did it deliver!  These were the best fajitas I have ever had...and I even messed up the marinade by adding too much oil.  Oops.  I'll post the recipe as I made it, with the extra oil.  It would probably work the same if you cut back the oil by a couple of tablespoons though.

Fold the fajitas into warmed tortillas, top with some sour cream and cheese, and prepare to be amazed!

  

Chicken and Bell Pepper Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 large red bell pepper, sliced

1 large green bell pepper, sliced

Tortillas

Sour Cream

Shredded Cheese

Directions:

1.  Cut chicken into small pieces and place in a resealable plastic bag.  In a bowl, combine vegetable oil, lime juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.  Pour marinade over chicken.  Seal bag and refrigerate for one hour.

2.  Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and bell peppers.  Saute until onions are translucent and bell peppers are crisp-tender.  Remove vegetables to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. 

3.  Heat one tablespoon of oil in same skillet over medium heat.  Remove chicken from marinade, discard marinade, and add chicken to skillet.  Saute until chicken is cooked through.  

4.  Return vegetables to skillet and stir together with the chicken.  Season with salt and pepper. 

5.  Serve with tortillas, sour cream, and shredded cheese.

Source:  Epicurious.com 

Streusel-Topped Apple Custard Pie

For some reason, I always thought baking pies was going to be difficult.  It's probably because my mom would always complain if she was delegated the task of baking a pie for Thanksgiving.  She is not a baker, I tell you.  I've come to learn that baking pies is really quite simple.  Although, I haven't yet mastered a two-crust pie.  I tend to stick to the ones that have streusel on top.  

This pie has quickly become one of my favorites.  I've made it three times in the last year!  It's similar to an apple pie, except the filling doesn't ooze out all over your plate.  It's very sweet!  Even people who claim they hate custard pie (like me, for instance) will like it...I can almost promise you that.  

Streusel-Topped Apple Custard Pie

Ingredients:

1 (9-inch) unbaked pastry shell

4 medium apples, pared and sliced

2 eggs

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash ground nutmeg

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup cold butter

1/4 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1.  In medium bowl, combine brown sugar and flour; cut in cold butter until crumbly.  Stir in nuts.  Set aside or refrigerate until later.

2.  Arrange apples in pastry shell.

3.  In medium bowl, beat eggs.  Add sweetened condensed milk, melted butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg; mix well.  Pour over apples.

4.  Sprinkle streusel topping over pie.  Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.

5.  Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees; continue baking pie for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Source: Great American Brand Name Baking  

Summer-Style Gravy

In my hypothetical list of foods that are delicious in the summer, one would not find gravy.  It just screams winter to me.  This gravy, however, was way more summery than I had predicted.  The lemon gives it the perfect hint of summery freshness.  I made it for a friend a couple of weeks ago, and his response to it was, "I'd eat that again."  I think that means it was good!

Just a word to the wise though, it's not as good leftover as it is just after it has been cooked.  The lemon gives it a little bit of a bitter flavor when it's reheated.  

   

Chicken in Creamy Gravy

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon pepper

4 lemon slices

Directions:

1.  In a nonstick skillet, cook chicken in oil until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes; drain.  

2.  In a bowl, combine soup, milk, lemon juice, and pepper.  Pour over chicken. 

3.  Top each chicken breast with a lemon slice.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer until chicken juices run clear, about 5 minutes.

Source:  Unknown...found it in my recipe box