Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

All I can say is mmmmmm...!

Pioneer Woman has done it - these are amazing.  Best cinnamon rolls I've ever made.. The rolls aren't too sweet, which pairs perfectly with the maple frosting.  Just overlook how much butter is in this recipe, and remind yourself that its enough cinnamon rolls to feed a village.  

Head on over to Pioneer Woman for the recipe... I can't compete with her step-by-step photo tutorial or her humor.  

Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

While you're there, you should probably check out the rest of her site.. she's pretty amazing. I aspire to be her someday.. in my dream world, of course.  

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Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are SO yummy! Perfect texture, perfect taste. Yum. Thanks, Justin Shinn, for the recipe base!

Ingredients:
4 oz. low-fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
1 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. plus 3 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

* Yes, it is CORRECT that there are no eggs in this recipe. It makes them nice and dense.

Directions:

Cream together cream cheese, butter, and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla.  Sift together dry ingredients, then add to butter mixture.  Stir in the chips.  Bake at 325 for 8-12 minutes, until lightly brown.  Let cool 5 more minutes on the pan before moving to a cooling rack.

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Surprise Success!

What a spread.

Last weekend, we hosted a surprise 30th anniversary party for my parents.  It was a HUGE success.  Over 30 people came and honored the happy couple, and to top it off, Mom and Dad had no idea that we had this planned! I served brunch theme food, including Bacon Quiche Tarts and Quiche Lorraine Muffins.  I know it looks like a lot of work, but there are two tricks: 1. Bake almost everything on a free day and freeze.  2. Don't be afraid of store-bought delights.

Besides the recipes mentioned above, we also had:

• Whole Wheat Banana Bread
• Ham & Cheese Bake
• Veggie Dip
• Fruit Dip
• Brownies (from a Ghiradeli box)
• Costco-bought Cinnamon Rolls (Mac almost likes them better than my homemade ones!)
• Aunty Christy's Cinnamon Muffins

The dips were delicious and easy to make; an easy must-have for any gathering.

Fruit Dip:

Cream together 1-(8 oz) package of cream cheese (softened) and 1 jar of marshmallow creme.  Simple as that.

Lemon-Dill Veggie Dip:

Ingredients:

3/4 c. mayonnaise (I usually avoid mayo at all costs, but it's hard to make a creamy dip without it)

3/4 c. sour cream

4 T. fresh lemon juice

4 oz. crumbled feta

2 T. fresh dill

Salt and Pepper

Mix all of the ingredients well. Again, simple as that.

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Bacon Quiche Tartlets

It was brunch week at our house. Also, muffin week.  Brunch because bacon is delicious; muffin because my new pampered chef tins are my current obsession.  Make these. Eat them. Don't judge me for using store bought crescent rolls.

Ingredients:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

5 tsp. milk

2 eggs

1/2 c. shredded Colby cheese

2 T. chopped green pepper

1 T. finely chopped onion

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls

5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

*I did TRIPLE this recipe to make 24 tarts, but that was because I needed them for a party... you can make however many you'll eat (which will probably be all 24).

Directions:

1.  In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth.  Add the eggs, cheese, green pepper and onion; mix well.

2. Separate dough into eight triangles; press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups.  Sprinkle half of the bacon into cups.  Pour egg mixture over bacon; top with remaining bacon.

3.  Bake uncovered at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  Serve warm.

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Tollhouse Pie

Picture from verybestbaking.com

The four-year journey of graduate school has begun, and I find myself completely powerless to make Mac's life any easier.  I can't create more time in his day, help him study biochemistry or pharmaceutics, keep his clothes dry on the rainy bike ride, convince him that his six hours of work are just too much, or accomplish anything else remotely helpful.  What I can do, though, is bake.  And bake I will, until his taste buds are satisfied.

He asks for tollhouse pie, I make tollhouse pie.

Enough said.

You should make it too.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. butter, softened (I think melted and cooled would be a better option here)
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts (I only used 1/2 c. and only put it in half the pie)

1 - 9" unbaked pie crust

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy.  Beat in the sugars and flour, then beat in the butter.  (I used softened butter, but I really think this will be smoother if you use melted butter.  Just be sure to cool it completely, otherwise it will change the texture of the final pie).  Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, then spoon batter evenly in the unbaked pie crust.  Bake at 325 degrees for 55-60 minutes (in my oven's case, only about 40).  You may also want to cover the pie crust for part of the bake time so that it doesn't get too brown.  Just a thought.  You also may want to serve this warm with vanilla ice cream.  That's a command.

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Quiche Lorraine Muffins

I have a new pampered chef muffin tin that has been begging me to make something delicious in it.  I'm feeling a little sugar-overloaded, so I went for a savory muffin.  These were fairly simple to make and have quite a few variations - I made them with mushrooms rather than bacon (only because I made another quiche dish with lots of bacon).  Enjoy!


Ingredients:
1/4 c. canola/vegetable oil
6 strips bacon, roughly chopped (I substituted 1 1/2 c. thinly sliced mushrooms)
4 medium scallions, thinly sliced
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. yellow or white cornmeal
1 T. baking powder
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 c. whole milk
1 1/4 c. shredded Gruyere (5 oz) (This is pretty spendy... I read a lot of reviews that said you can sub swiss cheese for Gruyere and get similar flavor. I used colby jack, and it was a little bland)


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prep your muffin tin (if it's nonstick, don't spray it)

2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Swirl in 1 T. of the oil, then add the bacon and saute for 1 minute.  Add the scallions and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the scallions are wilted and the bacon is lightly browned.  Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 10 minutes.  (If using mushrooms, saute mushrooms and scallions for 4 minutes).

3.  Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl util well blended.  Set aside. Whisk the egg, egg yolks, and the remaining oil into the bowl with the bacon.  Stir in the milk and cheese until well incorporated.  Finally, stir in the dry ingredients until moistened.

4.  Fill the tins three-quarters full.  Bake for 18 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out with a few crumbs attached.

5.  Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.  They can freeze for up to 3 months in the freezer.

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