Caramel Sticky Rolls

Holy goodness. Eat these.  Now.  NOW!  I love cinnamon rolls as much as the next person, but this is a welcome variation.  Also, it is one of those miracles of chemistry that is baking because a little bit of butter and brown sugar turn into an amazing caramel that douses these buns in very sticky and amazing goodness.

I made these to surprise my husband when he came home from work one morning.  His response was, "Great.  I'm going to get fat."  In my opinion, a few extra pounds so that you can eat these rolls is totally something you can live with.  And he did.  And he was grateful.

Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls

from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

1 1/2 pounds of bread dough (It would be too laborious for me to go over the whole method of bread making in this book, but it is wonderful.  You should definitely check the book out from your library.  I used the Challah dough from this same book to make these rolls.)

Caramel Topping

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

30 pecan halves (I omitted these)

The Filling

4 tablespoons salted butter, softened (I used unsalted.  You can just add a little salt.)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans (I omitted these)

Pinch of ground black pepper (I omitted this too.  I don't remember this being on the ingredient list.  I think I might try it next time.)

Cream together the butter, salt, and brown sugar.  Spread evenly over the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.  Scatter the pecans over the butter-sugar mixture and set aside.

Roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch thick rectangle on a lightly foured surface.

Cream together the butter, sugar, and spices.  Spread evenly over the rolled-out dough and sprinkle with the chopped nuts.  Starting with the long side, roll the dough into a log.  With a very sharp serrated knife, cut the log into 8 equal pieces and arrange over the pecans in the pan, with the swirled edge facing upward.  Cover loosely and allow to rest and rise 1 hour (or just 40 minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

5 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350.  Bake about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and well set in the center.  While still hot, run a knife around the inside of the pan to release the rolls, and invert immediately onto a serving dish.  If you let them set too long they will stick to the pan and be difficult to turn out.

Swedish Meatballs

Wow.  It has been 3 weeks since I've posted a recipe.  Don't worry, this one will make up for it.  These meatballs were so tender and delicious.  It was so hard to not lick the plate clean.  They are better than the IKEA version if you've ever had them.  Serve these babies over egg noodles for a sensational meal.

Swedish Meatballs

adapted from What's Cooking, Chicago?

Meatballs:

1 large egg
1/4 cup half & half or heavy cream
2 medium sized dinner rolls, torn into small pieces
1 pound ground turkey
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Vegetable oil for frying (optional) - see tip below

Sauce:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup half & half or heavy cream
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

For the Meatballs:
Whisk egg and cream together in medium bowl. Stir in bread and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together the turkey, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder with clean hands.  Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain; add mixture to the meat mixture and blend with hands until just incorporated.  (When mixing meat, try to handle it as little as possible.)
Using a small or medium ice cream scoop, form meatballs with wet hands and set aside; repeat with remaining mixture to form 25 to 30 meatballs.
Heat oil in 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles (oil should register 350 degrees on instant-read thermometer), 3 to 5 minutes. Add meatballs in single layer and fry, flipping once halfway through cooking, until lightly browned all over and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking.) Using slotted spoon, transfer browned meatballs to paper towel-lined plate.
Tip: rather than frying your meatballs, use a mini muffin pan and bake them instead! Spray the mini muffin pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking and place your meatballs in each well. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove and use in the recipe as directed. (This is the method I chose.)

For the Sauce:
Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add butter. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is light brown, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in broth. Add brown sugar and mushrooms and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and return to simmer.
Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Cream Scones

I made some raspberry jam the other day.  You know what goes perfectly with raspberry jam?  Scones.  And cream.  It was lovely.  These cream scones are amazingly tender, light, and crumbly.  They are not dry like the ones you might buy at stores.  If you've never had a scone, you should get in touch with your inner Brit and try one today.

Cream Scones

from Savory Sweet Life

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg slightly beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 tablespoons of sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and butter in a food processor. Pulsate everything in 3-second intervals until everything resembles course meal. If doing this by hand, use 2 knives, a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles course meal.
Transfer everything to a large bowl. Stir in heavy cream, egg, and vanilla mixing the dough by hand until it forms into a uniformed and slightly moistened dough. *You can also use your Kitchenaid with the dough hook on the slowest speed for a few minutes.

On a floured surface, grab enough dough to fit into your hand about the size of a baseball and gently roll it in a ball.  Flatten the ball and until your disk is approx. 3/4″ in height. Press down the outside of the dough circle so the center is slightly taller. Evenly sprinkle sugar on top of each circle.  Cut each circle in quarters. You should have enough dough to make 4 circles and 16 scones.
Bake on a ungreased cookie sheet, or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Remove scones from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Serve with butter, honey, cream or jam. Enjoy!

Coney Island Hot Dogs with Homemade Buns

I have always loved coneys from Sonic.  Yes, some of you may scoff.  And yes, I am aware of how low brow a coney may seem, but come on!  Hot dogs with chili and cheese?  Yes please!  These turned out really well.  The chili was slightly sweet for my taste, so I think I would decrease the brown sugar next time, but the hot dog buns turned out just beautifully and were so much better than the storebought kind.



Yummy yummy!  This is a highly kid friendly meal as well.  And it can always be customized.  My daughter didn't have any of the chili, but she had some ketchup and cheese.  It's so easy to make this meal fit anyone's tastes.  Try some soon!

Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce

adapted slightly from Mommy's Kitchen

1 lb ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
Salt and pepper to taste
hot dogs and hot dog buns (recipe follows)

Brown the meat in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Make sure to break up the meat as fine as possible (a potato masher works great (I just used the back of my spoon and worked it a little more than usual)). When the meat is cooked, drain and return to the skillet. Add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the hot dogs and add the mixture to your crock pot. Turn the crock pot on low and cook for 2 hours. Serve the Coney sauce on top of cooked hot dogs with diced onions and mustard.
To cook the sauce on the stove, prepare the mixture the same way and just simmer on low for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. (I used the stove method, and it was just as easy and much faster.)


Homemade Hot Dog Buns
adapted slightly from At the Baker's Bench

3 cups flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, put salt and warm water.  Sprinkle the yeast over the water and allow to bloom for 5 minutes.  Add flour, vegetable oil and sugar.  Knead using the dough hook until it’s smooth and satiny, then put it in an oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it with oil, or brush the surface lightly with oil, and cover the bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it’s doubled, about 1 hour.
Gently de-gas the dough by pressing your fist down into it, shape it into a 12-inch log, cover with a piece of oiled plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a 20 x 8-inch strip. Cut the dough (a pizza wheel works well here) into ten 4-inch squares. (Cut in half lengthwise, then into fifths vertically.) Shape each square by folding it over, pressing the edges to seal them, then rolling to form a bun about 6 inches long. Flatten the buns till they’re about 2 inches wide, and transfer them to lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 3 inches between them. Note: If you prefer to tear the buns apart from one another after they’re baked, place them so they’re only about 3/4-inch apart. Cover the buns with a piece of oiled plastic wrap, and allow them to rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until they’re puffy.
Bake the buns in a preheated 350°F oven for 16 to 18 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, cool them on a rack, and store tightly wrapped, or freeze.

Thanksgiving Menu 2010

That picture is, unfortunately, not mine.  I don't have any current pictures of my Thanksgiving food, but I promise that after Thanksgiving, I will post many of the recipes I used up here.  About a week ago I finalized my Thanksgiving menu.  If you can't tell, I'm really excited about it.  It's the first time I will host Thanksgiving, and although it will be small, it will be awesome.  Here's the menu:

Appetizers

My Mother-in-Law's Cheese Ball

Main Course

Roasted Turkey and Gravy - my husband is the one who cooks the turkey, so we'll see what he comes up with this year!

Sides

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Green Bean Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Stuffing (I'm still trying to decide between 2 recipes for this)

My Grandmother's Snail Rolls with Compound Herb Butter and Honey Butter

Dessert

Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Whipped Cream

What can you not live without on your Thanksgiving table?  I would love to know!  Any other traditions that you really enjoy?  What about ideas for leftovers?

Fried Apples & the Winner!

I really love fall, and I love when the apples come by the thousands into the stores.  This is a really simple and wonderfully delicious way to use up some of that harvest.  But be careful, it might melt your ice cream - but then you just have some yumminess to drink.  And congratulations to commenter number 1, Miss Nesbit, who won the cookbook!  Keep looking back for yummy recipes and more giveaways in the future!

Fried Apples

from La Fuji Mama

2 medium apples
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon table salt

Peel and core the apples and then slice them into 1/4-inch wedges.
Melt the butter in a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the butter has fully melted, sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter and then quickly place the apple slices in a single layer on top of the brown sugar. With a wooden spoon, stir the apples to coat them in the butter and brown sugar. Continue to stir the apples. When the butter and brown sugar have formed a syrup, sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt over the ingredients in the pan and stir to incorporate.
Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to stir the apples until they are fork tender and the syrup has reduced and thickened slightly. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the apples cool for several minutes. Serve alone, or as a topping for ice cream.

Cowboy Spaghetti & A Giveaway!

I'm not usually a big Rachael Ray fan.  But she does have some recipes that are really delicious, and yes, easy.  This is one of my favorites.  The best thing about this pasta is the switch-up on the cheese.  This picture shows it with your typical parmesan and mozzarella on the top, but the recipe calls for grated cheddar to garnish the pasta.  And it's delicious!!  This is not your typical spaghetti with meat sauce.  It has bacon and a nice smoky flavor that is just wonderful.  And because I love this recipe so much, I'm giving away a copy of the book that contains it!

If you want a chance to win, just comment on this post!  The winner will be randomly selected by using random.org and announced on Thursday when I'll put up another yummy recipe!  Enjoy and good luck!

Cowboy Spaghetti

from Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals

Salt

1 pound spaghetti

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 slices smoky bacon, chopped

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion (once again, I left this out since my husband hates onions)

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

Black pepper

2 teaspoons hot sauce (like Tobasco)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 14-oz can chopped or crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese

4 scallions, trimmed, chopped (I omitted these too)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt the water and add the spaghetti.  Cook the pasta to al dente, with a bite to it.  Drain the spaghetti.

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil and bacon.  Brown and crisp the bacon for 5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.  Drain off a little excess fat from the skillet if necessary, leaving just enough to coat the bottom.  Add the beef and crumble as it browns, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the onions and garlic and stir into the meat.  Season the meat with salt and pepper, hot sauce, and Worcestershire.  Cook for 5 to 6 minutes more, then stir in the tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Add the hot spaghetti to the meat and sauce and combine.  Adjust the seasonings and serve up the pasta in shallow bowls.  Grate some cheese over the pasta and sprinkle with the scallions.