Cinnamon Rolls

I am a big sucker for homemade pastries... emphasis on the big. I don't have a lot of time to make them, as most are very much time consuming.... but every once in awhile, the craving hits me for one of those HOT and FRESH, out of the oven delights. And I have to give in, simply have to. Well, ok, maybe I don't have to, but I do.

Anyway, so one of those cravings hit me this week, and it happened to be for some cinnamon rolls. There is only one recipe that I have ever used for cinnamon rolls, I have been using it for several years. I actually got it out of a fiction book based back in frontier days and this lady had a bakery and she made these, and... ok, back to the cinnamon rolls... In this recipe was an optional filling that I had never seen before, chocolate chips rather than nuts with the cinnamon sugar. I wasn't sure how it would taste, but I tried it, and LOVED it. Some people are not a fan of

cinnamon rolls with chocolate chips, and if that's the case, you don't have to put them on the whole thing, or even at all. Cinnamon sugar works well by itself. I often put chocolate chips on half and leave the other half with just the cinnamon sugar.

These things may look difficult, but they aren't really. Just time consuming. In fact, it's really easy, when you get right down to it. Just try them, you'll love them.

Dough:

2 packages yeast (or 2 tblsp)

1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 cup warm water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shortnening

1 tblsp salt

2 eggs, slightly beaten

6 cups flour

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

2-4 tsp softened butter

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup pecans (optional)

1/2 chocolate chips (optional)

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Dissolve yeast and 1/4 cup sugar in water. Set aside.

In saucepan, scald milk (don't quite boil it, but heat till it's bubbly around the edges.) Add shortening, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Stir until shortening is melted. Cool until just warm to the touch. (Here, I must say that I do not scald the milk, but rather put the milk , shortening, sugar, and salt into the microwave until the shortening has started to melt. Then I let it cool a little before dumping it into the yeast.) Add to the yeast mixture. Add eggs; stir well. Add 3 cups flour; stir until mixture is smooth and well blended. Add 3 more cups flour, or as much as is needed to make a soft but easily handled dough.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (I use the KitchenAid hook to knead, but I do have to knead it by hand for a couple minutes if it becomes too much for the machine.) Place dough in greased bowl, turning to greased top. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft free place until double. Punch dough down and let stand 10 minutes (ooops, forgot that 10 minutes last time I made these, and they still tasted good:)

Roll dough into 15x10 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter or margarine. For filling, combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over dough. If desired, sprinkle optional ingredients over the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll dough up from long side, jelly-roll fashion; pinch edge to seal. Slice into about fifteen 1-inch slices.

Arrange slices in a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise again until doubled in bulk. The past few times that I have made them, I have put them in the pan, and then put them in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning, I take them out and let them sit for half an hour before putting them in the oven. I've heard it's not good to put cold glass into a hot oven, so I obey...for once:).This way, you get fresh rolls for breakfast.

Preheat oven to 375F. Bake rolls about 20-30 minutes. They should be lightly browned both top and bottom. Cool in pan wire rack for 5 minutes; drizzle with glaze.

(I will post more pics later)

Cream Cheese Chicken

I suppose I should start taking pics when I make my meals... but for this first post, I have no pic. It really is simple, which is what I go for since I don't get home till late afternoon. The crockpot and my KitchenAid (which has absolutely nothing to do with this post:) are my best friends in the kitchen. Anyway, back to the recipe.

- 1 chicken cut up, about 3-4 pounds chicken parts (without ribs would work best)
-2 tblsp melted butter
-salt and pepper
-2 tblsp dry Italian salad dressing
-1 can of something soup (as I like to call it... cuz there are quite a few) i.e. cream of chicken, cream of celery, cream of mushroom... any will do
-6 oz. cream cheese, cut in cubes
-1/2 cup dry white wine or sherry (I used vinegar, which gives it a different taste methinks, but a good one)
-1 tblsp finely chopped onion


Wash chicken and pat dry (umm, I only do this cuz I feel guilty if I don't follow the recipe to the letter... well, at least most of the time). Brush with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces in crockpot. Sprinkle dry salad mix over chicken. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours (I am gone from about 8 a.m. till at least 6 p.m., yep, that's right, approximately 10 hours minimum. Even though chicken creates its own juices, I normally put in some water... other than that, the chicken will be fine, very tender, but very fine.)

About 1 hour before serving, mix soup, cream cheese, wine and onion in a saucepan. Cook until smooth. Pour over chicken; cover and cook for 30 minutes longer. (Last time I made this recipe, I made the sauce in the morning, and then refrigerated it. So, when I got home, I just had to pour it and wait 30 minutes. The sauce only takes about 10 minutes to make.)

Serve over rice or noodles. (I prefer noodles, well, to be honest, I haven't even tried it over rice cuz I so like the noodles).

I love this recipe, and am now thinking I need to make it again after writing this post. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do if you try it. And if you don't like it, well, umm, to each his/her own:).

Easy Recipe for Chicken in the Crockpot - Easy Recipe for Chicken with Wine

Bitten by the Bug

And so, the proverbial blogging bug has bitten me... I have thought about writing a blog for some time and have finally taken the step from thinking to doing. I love to write, I don't always make much sense, but I enjoy doing it and thought that I'd do this blog on something that I've been doing quite a bit of lately... you got it, cooking/baking. I'm sure that you had no idea that that was what was coming:), there are a lot of culinary blogs out, most of which are much more interesting than mine. I am going to be writing my posts from my personal experience... as I am in the kitchen not necessarily out of pure love and enjoyment, but out of necessity. If I don't cook, truth is, I don't eat... well, at least I don't eat healthy. I am the only one who cooks in my house... except for the occasional chip-in from one of my sisters... But yeah, I am the Chef in my house:) And with that, I will share my first recipe with you... one of my all-time faves... Enjoy!!